New decision of DU students wearing hijab and niqab

The Dhaka University administration has decided to identify the identities of students wearing niqab and hijab through female teachers, female officers and female employees. Moreover, it has been informed that the feasibility of introducing fingerprinting or biometric system for identity identification will be verified in due course.

A decision in this regard was taken at a meeting of the Deans' Committee held in the Vice-Chancellor's meeting room on Thursday (March 6) under the chairmanship of Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr. Niaz Ahmed Khan.

A notice sent by the DU Public Relations Office said that keeping in mind personal freedom and privacy, the decision has been taken to identify the identities of Dhaka University students wearing niqab and hijab through female teachers/female officers/female employees. As per the decision of the meeting, the cooperation of female assistant proctors will be taken if necessary to identify the identities of the students. The feasibility of introducing fingerprinting or biometric system for identity identification will be verified in due course.

Incidentally, on Thursday, during the third semester examination of the second year of the Bangla Department of Dhaka University, a teacher of the department asked a student named Tahmina Tamanna to remove her niqab to identify her. Later, when the chairman of the department came and asked her to remove her niqab, the student said that she would not remove her niqab. Later, her niqab was removed in the presence of a female teacher and her identity was identified.

In this incident, Tahmina Tamanna opposed the overall system of identifying female students of the university at a press conference at the Dhaka University Journalists' Association in the evening. During this, she made three demands. The demands are:

1. The process of identifying students by looking at their faces in all Dhaka University exams and viva in the traditional way should be stopped immediately. Students should be identified through fingerprints in the biometric method.
2. Effective measures should be taken to identify female students through female teachers in exams and viva until the biometric system is introduced.
3. Subject to proper investigation of every act of oppression and harassment committed against female students in the past, action must be taken against all oppressors in accordance with the prevailing laws of the university and the country.