As the Central University of Jharkhand descended into Khelotsav celebrations, a kind of protest was witnessed that had not been seen before.
Just a week before Khelotsav, the women’s hostel saw an impromptu campaign to get extended hostel entry time. This comes on the heels of several decisions of the administration that have caused much confusion among the students.
While the students managed a massive fest, the first in about three years, the University authority remained callous to repeated reports of girls who complained about ambulances not being available, sanitation and connectivity problems, etc.
It was given that the protest would boil over, and the evening’s events acted as catalysts.
First, let me give some background on the Central University of Jharkhand. The University was created through the Parliament’s decision in 2009, and it has been embroiled in controversies ever since. From investigations into corruption related to money embezzlement to protests over food quality, right down to a total shut down and “sine die” at the University, the institution has quite literally seen everything.
On the girl’s front though, there has always been some controversy. The entry timing has been a particularly important one.
Juggling between 6:30 PM to 7:15 PM last year, the entry timing has barely changed over the years. This has been the case despite, NLU Ranchi – an institute opened in the same year as Central University of Jharkhand – having an entry time of 10:30 PM for girls.
What drives this difference? The authorities, in their meetings with the women, have cited reasons like lack of security, modesty, and more recently, even adressed the decision as being a way to protect women.
On the day of the protest, the entry timing was 7:15 PM. Some girls missed the deadline and arrived at 7:25 PM and 7:35PM. They were not let inside the girl’s hostel. First, they were told that they should spend the entire night outside. Then they were told that they could only come in after the hostel warden had visited them. The warden did not come for two hours. In the meanwhile, the girls protested.
Some went to the canteen for food, and some managed to get in by climbing over a gate which has been broken for quite a while. Yet, the warden did not show up.
One girl had fallen sick because she had been denied access to the bathroom (the nearest bathroom for women is about 500 metres away, and the girl was afraid she would not be allowed in if she went away). Another girl had started menstruating and felt sick.
Despite, repeated complaints and visible frustration, the guards and the attendants chose to turn a blind eye to the scene and made snide comments about how all the sicknesses were “made up”.
Another warden, unconcerned with the case, had entered the gate by this point. However, they also ignored the pleas and went their way without entertaining any questions about the situation.
This escalated until the girls had had enough and broke open the doors. According to sources, the warden did not show up, until armed guards were present for escorting her, despite the girls protesting outside her home.
In a stranger turn of events, the warden claimed that she had spent the entire duration in the mess, while being aware of the situation. Later, once, confronted with a barrage of demands and complaints, she relented and arranged for a meeting with the authorities.
The very next day, the representatives from the girls’ hostels went to talk with the Dean of Students Welfare, and other concerned authorities regarding the situation. They were told that women were like ‘Sita’ and everyone knew what happened when ‘Sita’ went out. The statement made by the Dean of Student’s Welfare angered the female students but this was to no avail.
The situation was eventually quieted down due to the upcoming Khelotsav. However, this has been the case for a while now, and perhaps quieting down won’t help. The callous remarks need answering and the situation needs to be handled too.
With competing institutions also providing later entry times, is the demand for free roaming inside the campus a big “ask”? Are students supposed to provide for their own safety? Where do authorities get the courage to spout mythical excuses to get rid of real problems? These are questions we need to answer.