By 
23-05-2026 | Miriam Schanz | Asia Team Researcher, Global Human Rights Defence.
Five individuals were jailed for 15 days via a mobile court and evicted from their dormitories based on accusations of homosexuality, prompting condemnation from human rights organisations demanding an investigation.
Five people, including one outsider, were turned over to the police and were consequently sentenced to 15 days in prison. On the evening of 22 April, a student and the outsider were detained in an alley next to the college mosque, where they were allegedly subjected to psychological abuse and coerced into revealing the identities of other homosexual students on campus. They were later turned over to the Kafrul Police Station by the college administration, where they received a 15-day jail sentence by a mobile court. They were all released from prison after serving their entire sentence.
Following the arrest, during an Academic Council meeting held on April 23rd, a decision was made to revoke their dormitory seats due to the accusations of homosexuality. According to an official notice signed on the same day by Dr Md. Mokhched Ali, “the students were handed over to Kafrul Police Station on suspicion of homosexuality. According to the emergency decision of the Academic Council, their dormitory seat allocations have been temporarily cancelled”.
The detention, subjection to psychological abuse, and the cancellation of dorm seats due to accusations of homosexuality cause deep concern and strong condemnation from human rights organisations like JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF). According to JMBF, this incident clearly violates the fundamental human rights protected by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Bangladeshi Constitution. As a result, the organisation, amongst others, demands a prompt, unbiased investigation and suitable legal action against the perpetrators of these human rights abuses.
