Large numbers of people entered Dhaka University campus late Sunday night, breaching barricades set up to restrict outsiders for the screening of the FIFA World Cup 2026 final.

The incident occurred around 11:00pm after crowds overwhelmed barricades at several entry points, despite restrictions imposed from 6:30pm to ensure the safety and security of the university community.

Contacted by The Daily Star, DU Proctor Md Israfil Ratan acknowledged that the authorities had failed to enforce the restrictions.

"What could we do? We couldn't charge at them with batons. We did our best to discourage them, but they came with even greater enthusiasm," he said.

"We will be more cautious about these issues before organising such programmes in the future," he added.

The Teacher-Student Centre (TSC) was packed beyond capacity as vuvuzelas were continuously blown.

Several female students who had come to watch the match, expecting the restrictions on outsiders to be enforced, reportedly faced difficulties because of the overwhelming crowd.

Razia Sultana Rumi, a 2022-23 academic year student from the Department of Farsi Language and Culture, told this correspondent that she was inappropriately touched while she was coming across the crowd to go inside TSC.

"I was walking alone and I knew that something bad might happen, so I came prepared with two pieces of sugarcane in both of my hands," she said.

Earlier, the university administration and members of the Dhaka University Central Students' Union (Ducsu) had placed barricades at five entry points -- Shahbagh, Doel Chattar, Shibbari Crossing, Fuller Road and Nilkhet -- to limit access to the campus.