City students join movement to 'Break the Hostel Locks'

CHANDIGARH: Students of the city, in a bid to break away from what is being termed as gender discrimination, are gradually joining a campaign called 'Break the Hostel Locks'. The campaign, which runs online with the #PinjraTod, is a mark of protest against differential hostel and paying guest (PG) accommodation rules for men and women.
Beginning from the girls' hostels of Jamia Milia Islamia University, New Delhi, the campaign that calls for a change in 'sexist' rules spread to other varsities, including Delhi University.The Jamia residents started the protest in August when they were told by the hostel authorities that they will no longer get any late night outs and would have to be back in the hostel by 8 pm.
The campaign, which was taken to the Delhi Commission for Women chairperson by Jamia students via an open letter, has also found support from Panjab University (PU) students who believe that there should be an end to differential hostel timings, where male students are allowed to stay outdoors later than the hours demarcated for women.
The campaign was introduced to PU students by Students for Society (SFS), which shared Jamia students' post under its banner 'Bekhauf Azadi' after a September 9 protest at Jamia, evoking a number of responses and shares for the post. A student wrote in response, "We should also come forward... Right time to raise our voices against discriminatory rules."
"We had come across this problem during the protests against sexual harassment on campus. Girl students face a problem when they have to visit the library, for example. There should be no differentiation amongst girls and boys. Rules should be the same for everyone," said Arishdeep Singh, president, SFS.
He added that while there was strict imposition for these rules for women, staff was usually lenient when it came to boys. "Students going to study to the library end up writing 'going home' in their respective registers. But then they have to wait till the hostel gates re-open in the morning," Singh added.
Many PG residents in the city agreed that it was unfair to put a deadline for women while there was none for men. "We are staying away from home and working or studying in a city full of strangers. If we can deal with that, we should be treated as responsible grown-up persons who know their limits and responsibilities," said Ashima Parmar, a PG resident from Sector 42.
PG owners, however, don't agree. "We don't have a problem if the girls are visiting their local guardians or relatives. But in case they want to visit nightclubs or discotheques, who will own the responsibility? What if an accident takes place? These rules are for their own good, else why should we bother," said a PG owner from Sector 15.
Some students also wish to differ and feel that a disciplinary routine for students was nothing to protest against. "Every institution has its set of rules for students. It should not be seen as repression or curtailing of freedom.