Nagpur: The Nagpur University (NU) on Monday repealed the controversial guideline prohibiting HIV/AIDS-affected students from seeking accommodation to its hostels.
The move came following protests by students and different organizations, whose representatives met vice-chancellor SP Kane and demanded immediate withdrawal of the condition.
Agreeing to scrap the norm, Kane steered clear of the controversy saying the conditions were not laid during his tenure but had been carried forward over the years.
Interestingly, though the now-repealed hostel rules barred students suffering from epilepsy, AIDS, Hepatitis B, heart diseases, leprosy and mental disorder from getting hostel facility, no medical tests were conducted for inmates over the years. In fact, the hostel committee had left it up to the students to produce a medical certificate to prove their fitness.
Postgraduate student Vikesh Timande was the first to red flag the controversial norm.
Timande is an applicant for hostel accommodation and had noticed that the disease was mentioned under different types of prohibitions. “I was going through the terms and conditions for hostel accommodation. I realized that the diseases mentioned in the list breached constitutional rights of an individual,” he said.
Without wasting time, Timande initiated an online campaign and also researched on the issue. “I came to know that some students were discriminated on the basis of they being HIV+. I called up the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) helpline. They suggested that I move the court,” he said.
However, second-year students first decided to discuss the matter with the NU administration along with some of his classmates. “The VC instantly agreed to repeal the clause. I am appalled that no one took note of it all these years,” Timande said.
Based on Timande’s campaign, National Students Union of India (NSUI) activists led by Aamir Noori too met the VC and demanded withdrawal of the norm.
Director of students welfare department Dilip Kawadkar said no one has ever been denied accommodation in the hostel on the grounds of his/her health status. “It was brought to our attention by students only. I would immediately issue correction (shuddhipatra) in this regard and amend the guidelines by putting up the matter before the relevant authority,” Kawadkar said.
