The residents of Ambedkar Ganguly Students House for Women, Delhi University (DU) broke open the lock of their hostel late on Sunday night in protest of the alleged remarks by the hostel warden and against the “arbitrary” rules and regulations, including curfew timings. Other hostels from the Girls Hostel Complex showed their solidarity.
The rehearsals for the Hostel Night of Ambedkar Ganguly hostel for women took a controversial turn after the warden allegedly passed comments on a dance performance for being ‘disrespectful’ and objected to the clothes for being ‘ revealing’. She asked the girls to cut those parts of the performance which were ‘disrespectful’ according to her. On being asked for an explanation of the same, an altercation took place between the residents and warden and the hostel gates were locked. The residents protested against demanding a written apology and resignation of the warden. They broke open the lock of their hostel late on Sunday night in protest of the alleged “arbitrary” rules and regulations, including curfew timings.
Solidarity was shown by other various hostels like Ambedkar Ganguly Students House for Women, North Eastern Students House for Women, Rajeev Gandhi Hostel for Girls, University Hostel for Women, and Undergraduate Hostel for Girls (UGHG) against the hostel curfews and problems faced by women in Delhi University Hostels. There was a heavy police presence whole night.
A resident of UGHG, on conditions of anonymity, commented, “ Though due process has been followed by all the hostels, by writing applications and by complaining to the authorities they seem disinterested and not considerate”.
The student collective under the name of Women for Equality consisting of residents from various hostels of the Girls hostel complex have demanded the administration to immediately follow the University Grants Commission (UGC) Guidelines and the Saksham Committee Report, and “remove patriarchal and unconstitutional curfew from all women’s hostels”.
The student body is planning to launch a protest from 27th February against the hostel rules. Their statement said, “Even the men on campus will see their female counterparts as lesser beings if women do not have the same rights as they do. By restricting women in the public sphere, is it how the institutions are preparing us or the ‘next generation leaders for the real world” ?
Feature Image Credits: Deewanshi Vats for DU Beat
Sriya Rane
sriyar@dubeat.com
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