Bhopal: The authorities of higher educational institutions in the state capital have set different hostel norms for women, arguing that such rules are ‘necessary ‘to keep them safe. The decision of the prominent educational institutes like MANIT, RGPV, Barkatullah University (BU) and Gandhi Medical College (GMC) to complying with the directives, have raised several eyebrows. Crying foul, women hostellers demand same privileges given to their counterparts.
Pradeep Verma (name changed), a 4th year student of B. Tech (Architecture) in MANIT told Free Press, “There are 10 hostels on the campus – nine for male and one for female students. I have been living in hostel for four years. Here is no ‘in and out time’ for the second, third and the fourth year students. Also, there is no restriction on our late-night stay outside the campus. We don’t have to take permission from anyone. However, the first year students have to return by 7pm to hostels.”
But the girl students have a different tale to tell. “We have to return to hostel by 10 pm. We are not allowed to stay outside late in the night. In case of further delay, we have to seek special permission from the warden. Women and men are not allowed to enter other’s hostels,” says Sapna Soni (name changed), a fourth year student of Electronics Department in MANIT. She adds “Maybe, such rules are for our safety.”
Rashmi Agrawal (name changed) who is doing M.Tech (Electronics) in RGPV says, “There are four hotels on the campus – two for female and two for male students. During winters 6.30 pm is the deadline for the hostellers to return, while during summers it is 7.30 pm. We are not even allowed to move around the campus after the prescribed timings, but such rules are not applicable to our male counterparts.”
“Due to the deadline in the evening, I couldn’t join coaching classes in MP Nagar for GATE (Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering) because its timings are from 6 to 9 in the morning and vice-versa in the evening,” she said.
She further informed that “ There is a register in our hostels in which we have to put our signature daily in the evening, and if we are late, we have to give an explanation. Also, if we want to stay at our local guardian’s home or go home, we have to submit application to the warden for permission. We are even not allowed to wear shorts during dinner, we have been asked to wear knee length dress.”
The BU administration seems quite lenient towards the boys. Shivam Shukla (name changed), a first year student of BE (Mechanical) in BU said, “There are eight six hotels on our campus – three for male and three for female .We have to return to hostels by 9.30 pm. We don’t have to give any written application to the warden if we want to stay outside at night. Also, we don’t have to give any explanation if we stay out late in the night,”
Superintendent of women hostels in BU, Dr Dev Kumari Yadav, said, “Students have to return to hostels by 7pm. staying back with local guardian is not allowed. If the students get late or seek leave, they have to give written application to the superintendent, in turn talks to their parents over the phone informing about the same. I don’t think the same rules are being followed in men’s hostels, “she added.
Requesting anonymity an official of Barkatullah University said, “The rules at the hostels are same for both female and male students. But such rules are strictly enforced in women’s hostels for safety reasons.”
“There are eight hotels in Gandhi Medical College for both male and female. There are no fix timings for boy students to return to hostels at night,” said Dr Avinash in GMC.
