Bangladesh university expels students over homosexuality claims; rights body condemns move
Synopsis
Six students at a Bangladeshi public university were expelled or handed to police over 'allegations of homosexuality' — and an international rights body is calling it a constitutional violation. The HSTU case exposes the sharp tension between institutional conservatism and fundamental civil liberties in Bangladesh, with warnings that today's identity-based crackdown could become tomorrow's template for silencing all dissent.
Key Takeaways
Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University (HSTU) in Dinajpur, Bangladesh expelled four students and handed two others to police over 'allegations of homosexuality'.
JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF) condemned the actions as a 'blatant violation' of Bangladesh's Constitution and fundamental human rights.
JMBF Chief Advisor Robert Simon called the use of terms like 'university reputation' and 'social degradation' to justify the crackdown 'vague and discriminatory'.
The rights body warned the incident sets a precedent that could be used to suppress any dissenting opinion or independent identity.
JMBF has urged teachers, lawyers, journalists, and democratic forces in Bangladesh to speak out against the violations.
An international human rights organisation has strongly condemned the administration of Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University (HSTU) in Dinajpur district, Bangladesh, after two students were detained and handed to police while four others were expelled over what the university termed 'allegations of homosexuality'. The condemnation, issued on 25 May, describes the university's actions as 'repressive measures' that violate Bangladesh's own constitution and fundamental civil liberties.
What Happened at HSTU
According to reports, the HSTU administration acted against six students in total — detaining two and expelling four — citing concerns about the university's reputation and what officials reportedly described as 'social degradation'. The rights body stated that the administration relied on 'social hatred, rumours, public pressure, and conservative extremism' rather than any established legal framework to justify its actions.
Rights Body's Condemnation
JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF), a leading international human rights organisation, declared the university's conduct a 'blatant violation' of the Constitution of Bangladesh, existing laws, and fundamental human rights. The organisation argued that a university must never become a centre for 'moral policing, social persecution, or state and institutional interference' in individuals' private lives.
Robert Simon, JMBF's Chief Advisor and a noted French LGBTQ+ rights activist, said: 'It is extremely concerning that the administration is using vague and discriminatory terms such as 'the university's reputation' and 'social degradation' to attack personal freedom.' He added: 'When an educational institution attempts to control private life, personal relationships, and sexual identity, it ceases to be a place of education and humanity and instead becomes an instrument of oppression. This must stop immediately.'
Broader Implications Flagged
JMBF warned that legitimising the expulsion and detention of students on the basis of personal identity sets a dangerous precedent. The organisation stated that depriving individuals of personal liberty in the name of morality, publicly humiliating them, and targeting people for their identities reflect a 'fascist and anti-human-rights' mentality. It stressed that the role of a university or state authority is to ensure students' safety, dignity, and rights — not to police private conduct.
'If the humiliation, expulsion, and handing over of students to the police based on personal identity and allegations are legitimised today, then tomorrow any dissenting opinion, different identity, or independent thought may be suppressed in the same manner,' the organisation noted.
Call to Action
JMBF called on teachers, students, lawyers, journalists, human rights organisations, and democratic forces across Bangladesh to unite and publicly oppose what it characterised as grave human rights violations. This comes amid broader concerns about shrinking civil liberties and rising institutional conservatism in several South Asian universities. The incident has drawn attention to the absence of explicit legal protections for LGBTQ+ individuals under Bangladeshi law, making institutional accountability particularly difficult to enforce.
Point of View
Yet it proceeded without apparent institutional check. What is missing from most coverage is the structural gap: Bangladesh has no explicit anti-discrimination statute protecting students on grounds of sexual identity, leaving rights bodies abroad as the loudest voice of accountability. The JMBF condemnation, while significant, carries no enforcement power. Until domestic institutions — courts, the University Grants Commission, civil society — respond with equal urgency, international statements risk becoming the only record of what happened here.
NationPress
10 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened to the students at HSTU in Bangladesh?
Six students at Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University (HSTU) in Dinajpur were targeted by the university administration over 'allegations of homosexuality' — two were detained and handed to police, while four others were expelled. The actions were condemned by the international rights group JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF) as unconstitutional and a violation of human rights.
Who is JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF)?
JMBF is an international human rights organisation focused on Bangladesh-related rights issues, operating from France. It issued a formal condemnation of the HSTU administration's actions on 25 May, calling them repressive and in violation of Bangladesh's constitution and civil liberties.
Why did JMBF condemn the HSTU administration?
JMBF said the university relied on 'social hatred, rumours, public pressure, and conservative extremism' rather than any legal framework to justify the expulsions and detentions. It argued that universities must protect students' dignity and rights, not act as instruments of moral policing.
Is homosexuality illegal in Bangladesh?
Bangladesh's Penal Code, inherited from colonial-era legislation, criminalises same-sex conduct under Section 377. There are no explicit legal protections for LGBTQ+ individuals, which critics argue makes institutional accountability in cases like HSTU's particularly difficult to enforce.
What has JMBF called for in response to the HSTU incident?
JMBF has called on teachers, students, lawyers, journalists, human rights organisations, and democratic forces across Bangladesh to unite and publicly oppose the actions taken against the HSTU students. It warned that legitimising identity-based crackdowns today could set a precedent for suppressing all forms of dissent tomorrow.
