FPJ-Ed: Cow centre in Delhi's Hansraj College draws flak from students

New Delhi: A cow protection and research centre set up at Delhi University's Hansraj College has drawn the ire of students, who say that it has been set up at a site reserved for women's hostel.

College Principal Rama Sharma said there is a single cow at the Centre to enable students to carry out research and that it is not a 'gaushala' (cow shelter).

"The architects had seen the land and told us it is a setback area and a hostel cannot be constructed on it. The women's hostel is my dream project and the architects will analyse a suitable place for it," she said.

The Students' Federation of India (SFI) unit of Hansraj College alleged that a 'gaushala', dubbed as a "Swami Dayanand Cow-Protection and Research Centre" has been constructed at the site reserved for a women's hostel.

"As colleges shut down because of the pandemic, our college administration demanded full and bulk fees payment even though most of our families were suffering economic hardships. Now imagine our surprise when we learn that while the campus has been shut, the college has finished the construction of a full-fledged 'gaushala' without any warning or discussion with the student community," they alleged.

They said they will initiate a vigorous campaign against this decision and demanded that the 'gaushala' be pulled down and the construction of the long-awaited women's hostel be started.