‘Police Chased Us Even Into Our Hostel Rooms. We Want An Apology From The V-C’
Banaras Hindu University’s campus is one of
the largest in Uttar Pradesh. It is accessible through several gates, the most
renowned and biggest of which overlooks Lanka, a locality in Varanasi. It is at
this gate that hundreds of students of BHU, mostly women scholars, were
protesting since 6 am on September 21. It is from this historic site that they
were lathicharged by police and chased into their hostels. Videos of the
all-woman crowd being beaten by police have since gone viral, sending
shockwaves through the country.
The women students had come out in protest
after an incident of sexual harassment on the campus, for which the BHU
administration blamed the victim. She was the first to step out to protest
against the unequal treatment of women in the university and the lack of basic
safety norms there. She was soon joined by other hostel residents, and as she
shaved her head in protest, became a symbol of all BHU women students’ demands.
Banaras Hindu
University student Seema (name changed) was part of the entire sequence of
events since September 21 and faced a police lathi-charge which left her
injured. In a conversation with Pragya Singh, she describes their
ordeal ever since they raised demands for greater security against sexual harassment.
There are
allegations that the protests are politically motivated. Are you and other
protestors affiliated to any party or outfit?
I am just a student of
BHU, not affiliated to any political party or outfit. On September 21 I saw a
female student surrounded by three-four members of the proctorial board. The
proctors were asking the girl why she was outside in the evening. I guessed immediately
that she must have complained about sexual harassment. I went to my room after
this, but when I awoke the next morning there was talk about a protest. The
students were agitated because the girl who I had seen last evening had been
blamed for the sexual harassment she had faced. That girl had come with other
students of her hostel to protest at the Singh Dwar of BHU from 6 am onwards on
September 22.
How did the protest
become so big?
Later, everybody else
started joining the protest. Everybody came for their own causes because there
are many issues at BHU that students face. Slowly, as students arrived on the
campus, the protest grew in size from a handful; then, a few hundred joined in,
both women and men. The V-C almost met us twice, but finally didn’t show up.
There was a delegation of four-five whom he apparently saw, but nothing came
out of it.
What kind of
slogans were you actually raising?
Our slogans were
related to women’s empowerment and rights. There was nothing political in them.
Also, it was completely peaceful on September 22 and it continued all night.
That is, even after 8 pm, which is the curfew time for the girls hostel. We
remained on the site, Lanka Gate.
What prompted the
lathicharge then?.. read more:
https://www.outlookindia.com/magazine/story/police-chased-us-even-into-our-hostel-rooms-we-want-an-apology-from-the-v-c/299366