The protesting residents of the Delhi University's Women's Hostels found some respite after the authorities of the North Eastern Students House for Women (NESHW) met with its residents on March 16 and extended their curfew timing to midnight. The students said that they were happy that a two-hour meeting could resolve an issue that had them protesting for over 20 days. The protests, though, will go on as this is only a temporary fix and the other hostels have not had such a meeting or the resulting treatise.
The final decision about the NESHW curfew timings will be discussed in a managing body meeting which will have professors and relevant authorities. The students have asked the Provost to initiate a conversation so that a meeting is held as soon as possible. "We have asked the Provost to copy us on the mail sent to the managing body so that we are kept in the loop," said Pallavi Raj, a resident of the hostel and a flagbearer of the protest. "The Provost was also in favour of abolishing curfews all together but then said that it ultimately rests with the managing body to decide," said Pallavi.
The students are hopeful that this meeting will work as a trigger for those hostel authorities who have not been communicating with its residents. "This can be an example for Provosts and Wardens who have not been listening to the protestors or are not ready to listen to us," said Pallavi.
The students residing at the Ambedkar-Ganguly Students House for Women said that the Warden had told them that she will only talk to them if they apologise to her for protesting. "We had asked for her resignation because she had made some derogatory remarks before as well and was maintaining the hostel properly," said Amisha Nanda, a resident of this hostel and one of the women leading the protestors. "We want to have a dialogue. But the authorities do not seem to be bothered. At a time when the entire world is fighting a viral outbreak, we are protesting 24x7 for our rights and sleeping outside, near the gate but they have not even inquired about our health or helped stay safe in any way. These are the same people who are bothered about our safety if we step out at night," said Amisha.
