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BHU Student Speaks Out Against Sexism On Campus

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Ria Das
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Women's College in Banaras Hindu University

Sexism dominates most of the system today -- even educational institutes, which should provide us the basic knowledge of equality. Whether or not we admit it – certain things are limited to women students compared to their male peers (eg. Some colleges don’t allow girls in jeans).

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It recently came to light that the Vice-Chancellor of BHU (Banaras Hindu University) Girish Chandra Tripathi thinks it is “immoral” for women to study at night, following which girls in the university are now prohibited from studying at night.

Ohh Wait ….. Whattttt???.... absurd!!

Mr. VC, we think your need to improvise your perception about girls here!!

BHU’s girl’s hostel has been making headlines for quite some time now. Students went ahead and filed an RTI questioning the rules that differentiate the female hostellers from the male students, heightening gender discrimination on campus. This started after Tripathi took charge.

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This systematic attack, which is taking away the freedom of students, was pointed out by Mridula Mangalam, a woman studying in BHU. She pointed out the rampant sexism in their college campus, that severely restricts women's freedom. The rules and regulations are different for men and women.

Also Read: Mr. Girish Chandra Tripathi, how do I explain the idea of equality to you?

Some rules in the hostel are as follows:

  1. Women are deprived of many facilities which are easily available to the department of men, in spite of the fact that both the departments live on the same campus.
  2. Women have lesser options when it comes to choosing the subjects they wish to study. And in those limited options, the professors aren’t available.
  3. Basic security is not provided to the women. In short, there is no security outside the campus.
  4. Non-vegetarian food is restricted to the male students. (That’s right, female students cannot eat non-vegetarian food.)
  5. Female students are not allowed to make phone calls after 10 pm. If they do, the phone is snatched away and she is branded a “characterless person” instantly.

And guess what, one who tries disobeying the rules, faces the prospect of being kicked out of the campus!

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Earlier, the same speculation was going on surrounding the Hindu Girls Hostel, Delhi. Check out some videos below:

Mridula, a social sciences student at Mahila Maha Vidyalaya (MMV), the women’s college inside the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) campus, spoke her mind in Youth Ki Awaaz. Likewise, a second-year student of Arts at MMV said, “This is like life in Kashmir; isolated, alienated, and cut off from the mainstream,” reported by Hindustan Times.

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Also read: Sexism: It’s been around for millennia, but let’s stop it right here

“From 9am-5pm, we are busy with classes. After that, we only have time till 8pm to do things such as visit the main library, go to the market, or meet friends. The boys, however, can stay out till 10pm” says Anvesha, a resident of Rae Bareilly.

“If you are not in by then, it’s a serious violation of rules,” says Shikha, another second-year student.

Also Read: Hostel rules ridiculous: Hindu College undergrads condemn administartion

Needless to say, the equality imbalance needs to be corrected ASAP or else the campus could be in deep penalty in nearer future.

Also Read: The Hindu Girls Hostel saga: Hunger Strikes, Protests and an Unfinished Building

Feature Image Credit: Hindustan Times

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Girls rules #RSS women rights in India Indian women and misogyny Banaras Hindu University Girish Chandra Tripathi Vice-Chancellor of Banaras Hindu University girls hostel india women public spaces sexist rules in hostel
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