Benaras Hindu University – BHU – has been in the news for all the wrong reasons. Female students were mauled inside the campus (before 7 pm) , by men riding bikes (presumably from outside the campus);
According to the students, a first year boarder was allegedly touched inappropriately by three bike-borne men within the campus on Thursday. They also said that the guards sitting there did not come forward to help the girl. When the girl approached the warden and the chief proctor, the administration allegedly victim-shamed her. “They asked her why she was out so late. They told students that the hostel curfew timings will be shifted from 7 pm to 6 pm,”
The girls complained, administration blamed the girls – ‘who asked you to be out so late’ (implicitly stating men will be men, and all men are potential rapists – a statement i vehemently disagree with). Cut to, a protest outside the VC’s home, cops are called in. No one knows who threw the first punch, but before you can say “Benaras Hindu University – BHU” there is violence, lathi charging, pics of fire going viral, and injured students.
The administration, naturally, blamed students.
“This protest was completely political in nature because it was timed with the PM’s visit, with the intention of soiling the image of the university,” the BHU administration stated in a media release.
The students, naturally, blame the administration.
“This is not the first time that the female students have asked for security measures on campus. The university officials have as always paid no attention to their requests. Are they serious about girl child education?”
And, just as you think the Government cannot get more inept in dealing with the situation, they prove you wrong. There are reports of 1000+ FIR”s against students of BHU, from various sources
Apart from the fact that you are overloading an already overworked police force with more work, in a state (and a city) not exactly known for law abiding, it is still a terrible idea.
Let us look at the lower figure of 1000.
Each family is approximately 5.2 people. Let us go with 5 for the ease of calculation. Each parent also has a 10 member family from each side, and let us, for ease of calculation assume 10 other people each – immediate neighbours and friends. Each of the close connections has, atleast, a similar number. This is a kid you have seen growing up, who now has a FIR against them. Process this and think of what the person will do.
Now imagine one more thing – that one of those students was your child. Your own flesh and blood. Given what you know about government (not this one specifically, but Government in general), who will you side with – your kid or UP Police ? How many people will you tell, that this government doesn’t know what it is doing.
1000 students – what is the multiplier effect on this ?
For most women, stories of molestation become personal. I don’t know a single woman – across socio economic groupings – who has not been touched against her wishes, groped, pinched, pawed – at least once in her life. When i think of a younger me, who got home after a man tried to rub himself over her (in a train in the UK) rage still bubbles over. And, the reason i mention this, is that it is not country, location, culture, time, clothes. Nothing is a guarantee not to be molested. I cannot even remember how many hot dettol baths i had- that feeling one will never feel clean again, was tremendous. As i write this, 25 years later, the anger is still fresh. How do you think women are going to see this story of BHU ? Every time i see people on my TL making excuses (they probably dont mean to, but it sounds like that) for the incident – it feels personal.
How difficult is it for the administration to say “we hear you. we are sorry you went through this. We promise we will try and make this a safe space, where you can be you, without fear”. Maybe, this is what the BHU Administration should be doing – reassuring students that they can be free from the fear of being molested. Having a 6 pm curfew time is not the solution.