Students of the Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law (RGNUL) in Patiala, Punjab are continuing their protest for the third consecutive day today, September 24, as the administration ordered the indefinite closure of the varsity yesterday, September 23 amidst the agitation.
The protests were sparked after the vice-chancellor of the university, Prof Jai Shankar Singh, allegedly violated the privacy of the residents of the girls’ hostel by conducting a “surprise check”, where he entered the rooms of the female students without the presence of a female guard or warden on Sunday, September 22.
During his visit, Singh also allegedly questioned the girls on their choices of clothes, asking one of them why she wore shorts.
In addition, the students also issued a letter to the Chancellor of RGNUL i.e. the Chief Justice of the High Court of Punjab & Haryana today, September 24, detailing the incident, their demands, and other instances of the VC’s alleged insensitivity and disregard for student welfare.
“Notably, the Hon’ble VC had previously been served a show-cause notice during his tenure as the Dean of the Law Faculty at Allahabad University for visiting a faculty member’s residence during odd hours and exhibiting inappropriate behaviour, in blatant disregard of the University's protocols,” the students wrote in their letter to the Chief Justice.
Some of the comments include:
“Agar aukaat nahi thee toh itne high-level university mei admission kyu liya?” (If you didn’t have the financial capacity, why did you come to such a high-level university?), to a student who wanted to get his permission slips to appear for the exam signed by the VC. According to students, these comments gave the student an anxiety attack so severe, that he had to be hospitalised.
“Ladki ho domestic violence, marriage jaisa act uthao aur aram se ghar pr course karo. Kyu itna complicated aur naya topic leti ho” (you are a girl, pick a topic like domestic violence or marriage and stay back at home and pursue the course), to a PhD scholar who wanted to select criminal jurisprudence as her research topic.
In addition, the VC also allegedly actively discouraged the students from participating in co-curricular activities, such as moot courts working on research journals, and internships.
“It is apparent that the Hon’ble VC has a recurring pattern of transgressing into the personal space of other University members, similarly disregarding established protocols,” they added.
“Protest to go on until VC resigns,” students say
Among the demands of the students is the immediate resignation of Singh as the VC of the varsity.
After talks between the administration and the students did not yield results, as the students did not turn up, the main gates of the university were closed off by campus security.
However, the students say that they do not want to engage in closed-door negotiations with the VC and want him to address all the protestors.
“If one of us, or some of us attend the talks, chances of us getting targetted or overpowered are high,” a student told EdexLive, on the condition of anonymity.
Further, the student adds that the only reason they agreed to talks was to maintain their goodwill. “Otherwise, there was no scope for negotiations. The time for talks has long passed,” she says.
Adding that this was not a sporadic protest, the student says that they submitted a complaint-cum-demand letter to the VC and the Institutional Student Grievance Redressal Committee in August, detailing several concerns faced by the students.
These concerns include:
Extension of class hours from 2.00 pm to 4.30 pm
Lack of availability of rooms in the girls’ hostel and improper maintenance of hostel facilities
Absence of safety measures on the University Road
Limited access to libraries and resources
Lack of a recognised student body association
Discontinuation of student Learning Management software Turnitin and Drillbit
Lack of reimbursement and transparency regarding moot court, sports, and other events
Limited gym hours
Restrictions on ordering food from outside the campus
Unequitable resource allocation for research funds
To discuss these concerns and resolve them, the students also requested the administration to “convene an urgent meeting with all batch representatives and the Vice Chancellor within 10 days of the receipt of this letter, in accordance with UGC guidelines.” However, the meeting never happened.
The current agitation at the university is a culmination of all these events, the student says, and adds that it would only end with the VC’s resignation.
“Not only has he been sexist and violative of the consent & privacy of women, but he has also violated the Prospectus of the university by discouraging the participation of students in moot courts and producing research for journals. It is clear to us that he has to step down,” the student says.
