Higher education institutions play a major role in helping students distinguish between the right and the wrong. Such institutions deepen the student’s understanding of various issues and encourage them to raise their voices. However, some of the staff in a few of the country’s most reputed colleges still indulge in gender discrimination through their words and actions.
Such an incident of gender discrimination by the college staff was reported at Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law (RGNUL), Patiala. On March 19, the students of the college filed a complaint with the National Commission of Women (NCW) alleging the presence of gender-based discrimination on the campus.
The Issue
The students alleged that the in-time for the female students in the hostels was different from the male students. They said that as a result of the rule, women hostellers could only access the library till 9 p.m. whereas the male students were allowed access to the library till 1 a.m. Women hostellers were also not allowed to step out of their rooms into the corridor after 11 p.m.
Elaborating on the matter, a female student of RGNUL told Newsclick, “We had to file the complaint because of the discriminatory rules for the students. The hostel in-times for male and female students are different. The teachers often make sexist and derogatory comments towards women. The wardens are very rude and often ask unwelcome questions. Even the gynaecologist in the campus indulges in derogatory behaviour, trying to shame the girls by making remarks about their character.”
After receiving the complaint, the National Commission for Women took the matter into their hands. A three-member fact-finding team, chaired by Chandramukhi Devi, with Soso Shazia and Advocate Nisha Rishi, as the other two members, visited the campus on March 20.
Alleged Staff Misbehaviour
The team interacted with 40 female students of the university and found that the warden behaved in a dictatorial manner with the students. She had often threatened the girls of dire consequences if they failed to comply with the rules. The students also informed the team that they were pressured to stay back in their rooms and their parents were called up even for the smallest of issues. They complained that the college maintained a leave register only for the girl students and added that the university administration did not deal with the complaints of sexual harassment filed by the students.
The students also expressed their concern over the misbehaviour of the male staff in the college. They alleged that the gynaecologist appointed by the university asked them about their physical relationships with boys.
According to Bar and Bench, (now suspended) administrative officer SP Singh passed derogatory remarks like
1) “RGNUL ki ladkiyon par bahar available ka tag laga hua hai aur humein is baat se sharam aati hai,” (The girls at RGNUL carry the tag of ‘being available’ outside the campus and we are very ashamed of it) and
2) “Koi reason hoga hi, isliye aajkal itni jaldi ladkiyon ko call girls samajh lete hai,” (There must be some reason behind the quick equation drawn between modern women being call-girls).
Interestingly, hostel warden, Shilpa Jain, withdrew from the RGNUL’s internal complaints committee (ICC) on the day of the team’s visit, when she found out about the complaints made by students against her.
Observations Of The NCW
After the visit to the college and the interaction with the students, the team pointed out that there was an absence of redressal mechanisms for students’ grievances and the lack of awareness regarding the legal remedies available in terms of any complaint relating to sexual harassment.
Furthermore, the report of the NCW observed that the right to privacy of students was being infringed by the university administration. It also stated that the faculty behaved rudely with the students and often passed unwelcome remarks towards the female students. The report noted that student-teacher interaction programmes for the students to share their problems were not organised by the university administration.
Several recommendations were made by the commission to improve the situation in the university. It urged the administration to be more sensitive on gender issues and ensure that the same rules were made for men and women at all levels. It has further advised the administration to maintain a proper ICC and to ensure that the ICC functions according to the required guidelines. The commission also stressed the need for formulating a proper grievance redressal cell. Additionally, it has also recommended the appointment of a professional counsellor at the university to help the students understand their rights.