A BHU student shines a light on gender discrimination, molestation & lack of women's safety on campus
ET Bureau|
Oct 01, 2017, 12.00 AM IST
It was the first day of Navratri — when the personification of women, goddess Durga, is worshipped for nine days throughout the country. Banaras Hindu University (BHU) was no different, with the campus getting decorated. By dusk, the veneration made way for the sinister, when a girl, who was on her way back to the hostel, was molested on campus.
The offenders fled from the spot and the girl was unable to note down the vehicle number in the darkness. The victim fainted and was given first aid at the hostel by colleagues. When the girl complained to the proctor who was seated just 100 meters from the spot, she was reprimanded for being outside the hostel after 6 pm and even blamed for the clothes she was wearing — a kurta and leggings (the chief proctor ON Singh subsequently resigned, taking moral responsibility for the ensuing violence on campus).
Later, when the incident was brought to the notice of the hostel warden, all she had to say was “you girls never take care of your security when away from home. You can’t expect us to monitor you people every time.”
There were talks of expelling the girl from the hostel and reducing the in-time for girls from 7.45 pm to 6 pm. The girls that night protested about this movement and reached the BHU main gate on September 22 at 6.00 am. Many boys also joined in. The victim shaved her head in protest, and a complaint letter addressed to the vice-chancellor was written. The girls had basic demands. They wanted CCTV cameras to be installed all over the campus, increased security, the campus adequately lit up and enough powers to the security to act on complaints of molestation.
The protest continued for 36 hours. When the VC failed to turn up at the protest location, a part of the group reached his residence to initiate the talks. That is when the police intervened and the girls were lathi-charged. Teargas shells were used to disperse the students. A group of teachers came across to convince the girls to end the protest.
But without having a discussion about the matter with the VC, the girls politely declined to disperse from the main gate. Some who had head injuries had to be rushed to hospital. Dussera holidays, which were supposed to start from September 28 were preponed by three days. All girls staying at the hostel were forced to vacate till October 2. Even the power and water supply to the girls’ hostel was stopped.
Gender discrimination has been on at BHU for some time now. In-time for girls is 7.45 pm; for boys it is officially 10 pm (although their movement is pretty much round the clock). Molestation and eve-teasing are common on campus. The girls are regularly told not to visit a certain part of campus because it’s not safe. Instead, why can’t the security in such areas be improved?
Admittedly, it isn’t a simple task to install CCTV cameras in a 3,150-acre campus, but it’s not impossible. On Holi this year, the girls were locked in the hostel for two days. They were not allowed to go out ostensibly because boys will apply colours on them. Every time, it’s the girl who is blamed for any complaint that she raises; it could be her clothes, or her eagerness to be outside the hostel, or her behaviour.
All they wanted is a safer campus. Will reducing the curfew timings for girls, restricting the kind of clothes they wear help in any way? The protesters were called antinational. Is seeking a safe environment in any educational institution an antinational act?
The offenders fled from the spot and the girl was unable to note down the vehicle number in the darkness. The victim fainted and was given first aid at the hostel by colleagues. When the girl complained to the proctor who was seated just 100 meters from the spot, she was reprimanded for being outside the hostel after 6 pm and even blamed for the clothes she was wearing — a kurta and leggings (the chief proctor ON Singh subsequently resigned, taking moral responsibility for the ensuing violence on campus).
Later, when the incident was brought to the notice of the hostel warden, all she had to say was “you girls never take care of your security when away from home. You can’t expect us to monitor you people every time.”
There were talks of expelling the girl from the hostel and reducing the in-time for girls from 7.45 pm to 6 pm. The girls that night protested about this movement and reached the BHU main gate on September 22 at 6.00 am. Many boys also joined in. The victim shaved her head in protest, and a complaint letter addressed to the vice-chancellor was written. The girls had basic demands. They wanted CCTV cameras to be installed all over the campus, increased security, the campus adequately lit up and enough powers to the security to act on complaints of molestation.
The protest continued for 36 hours. When the VC failed to turn up at the protest location, a part of the group reached his residence to initiate the talks. That is when the police intervened and the girls were lathi-charged. Teargas shells were used to disperse the students. A group of teachers came across to convince the girls to end the protest.
But without having a discussion about the matter with the VC, the girls politely declined to disperse from the main gate. Some who had head injuries had to be rushed to hospital. Dussera holidays, which were supposed to start from September 28 were preponed by three days. All girls staying at the hostel were forced to vacate till October 2. Even the power and water supply to the girls’ hostel was stopped.
Gender discrimination has been on at BHU for some time now. In-time for girls is 7.45 pm; for boys it is officially 10 pm (although their movement is pretty much round the clock). Molestation and eve-teasing are common on campus. The girls are regularly told not to visit a certain part of campus because it’s not safe. Instead, why can’t the security in such areas be improved?
Admittedly, it isn’t a simple task to install CCTV cameras in a 3,150-acre campus, but it’s not impossible. On Holi this year, the girls were locked in the hostel for two days. They were not allowed to go out ostensibly because boys will apply colours on them. Every time, it’s the girl who is blamed for any complaint that she raises; it could be her clothes, or her eagerness to be outside the hostel, or her behaviour.
All they wanted is a safer campus. Will reducing the curfew timings for girls, restricting the kind of clothes they wear help in any way? The protesters were called antinational. Is seeking a safe environment in any educational institution an antinational act?
