Students from Dhaka University (DU), Rajshahi University (RU), Jahangirnagar University (JU) and Chittagong University (CU) staged protests on Sunday, condemning remarks on working women in a post from Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Shafiqur Rahman's X account.

At DU, Gonotantrik Chhatra Jote, a coalition of seven left-leaning student organisations, brought out a torch procession on the university campus this evening.

The procession began at the TSC Payra Chattar and ended at Raju Memorial after marching through different parts of the campus. A brief rally was held there afterwards.

The procession was led by Amal Tripura, president of Pahari Chhatra Parishad and coordinator of Gonotantrik Chhatra Jote, and conducted by Tamjid Haider Chanchal, president of Bangladesh Chhatra Union.

Biplobi Chhatra Moitree DU unit president Nujia Hasin Rasha, its general secretary Jabir Ahmed Jubel, Biplobi Chhatra-Jubo Andolon joint convener Naim Uddin, and Gonotantrik Chhatra Council joint convener Annie Chowdhury, among others, spoke at the rally.

At RU, the Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal unit held a rally near Buddijibi Chattar, followed by a march on campus roads.

RU Chhatra Dal President Sultan Ahmed Rahi termed the remarks “offensive and unacceptable,” demanding a public apology.

He said a political party that disrespects women has no place in a democratic society.

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RU Chhatra Dal Organising Secretary Mahmudul Mithu alleged the comments reflected Jamaat’s historical attitude towards women.

Later in the evening, several hundred JU students, mostly from female dormitories, brought out a "broom and torch procession" from the Shaheed Minar area. Marching through campus roads, they shouted slogans before gathering at Bot Tola for a rally.

Lamisha Zaman, a History student, said Islamic history itself highlights the contributions of women such as Hazrat Khadija (RA), Hazrat Ayesha (RA), and Shifa bint Abdullah.

Referring to Jamaat ameer’s claim that his X account had been hacked, Lamisha said the explanation was misleading. “According to X policy, account recovery requires official confirmation, which Jamaat could not show,” she said, describing the claim as an attempt to evade responsibility after making offensive comments.

Protesters also criticised Jucsu General Secretary Majharul Islam, who had labelled them “liars” on social media. They warned that groups seeking to demean women or use them as political tools should be cautious.

“Women are powerful in every role, and together -- women and men -- we will build this country,” the protesters declared.

Similarly, students of Chittagong University (CU) staged a protest and brought out a broom procession on campus tonight.

The protest programme began around 9:00pm at the university’s Zero Point area. From there, the demonstrators marched towards the Central Shaheed Minar, carrying brooms as a symbolic gesture of protest.

During the procession, the students chanted various slogans, including “There is no place for those who harass women in my golden Bangla”, “Break the poisonous fangs of clerical fascism”, “You must apologise for calling women prostitutes”, and “Rapists of ’71, beware”.

Speaking at the demonstration, Sumaiya Sikder, a student of the Marketing Department from the 2021–22 academic session, said Jamaat initially claimed the account had been hacked after protests erupted over the post, a claim she termed “ridiculous”.

“Since the post-July period, we have been witnessing how women across all strata of society are being harassed in various ways. We strongly condemn such remarks,” she said.

It is to be noted that Dr Shafiqur Rahman has a verified account on the social media platform X. A post from the account, widely criticised for being insulting towards women, triggered intense debate and backlash on social media. Jamaat-e-Islami later claimed that the account had been hacked.

The post, published on Saturday afternoon, stated: “We believe that when women are pushed out of their homes in the name of modernity, they become exposed to exploitation, moral degradation and insecurity. This is essentially another form of prostitution.”

Our RU, JU and CU correspondents contributed to this report.