DU Directs Digital Discipline Amidst Defamatory DUCSU Debate
Ahead of the Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU) elections, the university’s Election Commission has raised concerns over two contentious Facebook pages named “Dhaka University Students’ Parliament-1” and “Students’ Parliament-2.” The situation has become particularly challenging given that the first group, “Dhaka University Students’ Parliament,” hosts 67,000 members comprising current and former students, while the second group, “Students’ Parliament-2,” has 49,000 members. Previously, the latter group included “Dhaka University” in its name, but after a university notice regarding code of conduct violations, it was renamed.
The Election Commission has already sent letters to the BTRC Chairman requesting the closure of these and other related pages. However, no action has yet been taken. In this context, on Thursday, September 4, the commission issued a warning to students regarding the spread of “disinformation” on social media.
Professor Golam Rabbani Saf, head of the DUCSU Code of Conduct Taskforce, emphasized zero tolerance during a briefing, stating, “If a student is involved, their candidature will be cancelled. If a student is not enrolled, they may face suspension, and if they are external, legal action will be taken. Cyberbullying remains the most pressing issue. We have an ICT cell and a taskforce, and we are attempting to contact page administrators to shut down the pages.”
He added, “Cyberbullying cannot be completely prevented. We want to inform you that anyone continuing these defamatory activities will face punitive measures.”
Answering a question, the DUCSU Returning Officer explained, “We will identify the administrators of student-managed pages, and for enrolled students, appropriate measures will be taken. Those outside our student body will face legal action as necessary.”
Professor Rabbani further noted that complaints have been received from multiple organizations and candidates. “Earlier today, the commission issued notices and reinforced them strongly. We now intend to take necessary action. Pages that spread disinformation leave us no option but to apply disciplinary measures,” he said.
Highlighting limitations from the BTRC, he added, “Some links are controlled from abroad. While BTRC can regulate local domains, they cannot completely shut these down. Therefore, punitive action remains the only viable course of action. We must identify page operators and hold them accountable.”
The Returning Officer mentioned repeated complaints regarding “Dhaka University Students’ Parliament-1” and “Students’ Parliament-2.” “I have communicated with them by phone. They close the page one day and reopen it the next. In the meantime, various defamatory news posts continue to appear,” he said.
Earlier in the afternoon, DUCSU VP candidate Abidul Islam Khan and AGS candidate Tanvir Al Hadi Mayed met with Professor Rabbani and Professor Jasim Uddin to discuss allegations of disinformation on these pages.
On the same day, the “Dhaka University Students’ Parliament” group published an AI-generated image relating to the Shamsun Nahar Hall tragedy of July 22, 2002, along with posts critical of the student panel.
Following the commission’s briefing, the university’s Public Relations Office issued a statement warning against leniency in cybercrime. It stated, “During election campaigns, there have been instances of cyberbullying and character assassination, particularly against female candidates. Any proven allegation will prompt strict action by the DUCSU Code of Conduct Taskforce and the Cyber Control Cell, alongside legal measures. The Returning Officers have made it clear that no tolerance will be shown for cyberbullying or defamation in DUCSU and hall elections.”
