A storm of criticism has erupted at the University of Dhaka (DU) after a female student, who filed a petition challenging the candidacy of SM Farhad, General Secretary (GS) aspirant from the Islami Chhatra Shibir-backed panel United Students’ Alliance, was threatened with gang rape on social media.

The threat came from Ali Hossain, a student of the Sociology Department (session 2020–21) and a resident of Sergeant Zahurul Haque Hall. On Facebook, he wrote: “Instead of protesting against the High Court, first we should organise a march to gang rape her.”

This post surfaced shortly after the High Court stayed the election process on Monday, 1 September, following the female student’s writ petition.

The post triggered widespread outrage. Various student organisations, faculty members, and general students condemned the threat on Facebook, demanding immediate disciplinary and legal action against the accused student.

The petitioner belongs to the Opparajeyo 71–Odommo 24 panel, supported by several left-leaning student organisations. At a press briefing, she alleged that SM Farhad had been involved in anti-Liberation War activities and contested the election without formally resigning from Shibir, which she argued was a violation of the DUCSU constitution.

Prominent academics strongly condemned the threat and urged the authorities to act:

Although allegations of links with Shibir have surfaced against Ali Hossain, repeated attempts to contact him for comment were unsuccessful.