Students flag safety gaps in buses, RU campus

Jaipur: Amid rising concerns over harassment in the city, college-going women told TOI they feel unsafe commuting in crowded public buses and within the Rajasthan University (RU) campus, citing gaps in enforcement and access control.

Students said CCTV coverage has not eased concerns as outsiders can still enter the campus freely. Many pointed out that hostels located deep inside the campus force them to walk long distances after classes, often around dusk.

“Our hostel is quite inside the campus, for which most girls have to walk after classes, which usually get over by 6 pm. This is the same time when many boys from outside are also in the campus, either for sports activities or some other reason, who either pass comments or offer lifts to girls walking back to hostel, making it uncomfortable for students to walk back,” said a third-year student of University Law College.

Many said sharing live location with roommates has become routine, even while walking to the main gate or returning late evening. Students demanded random checks at bus stops and deployment of personnel so complaints can be reported immediately.

“I usually take the college bus for commuting, but during exams, I take public transport to save time. Once, two boys kept staring at me and talking about pen marks on my hands. They kept on repeating their phone numbers loudly. Moreover, when I ignored them, they started saying their social media handles out loud. Despite other passengers, I could not decide how to react,” said Manjari Saxena, a resident of Mansarovar, urging police presence at bus stops.

Another student, Muskan Chaudhary of University Maharani College echoed the demand. “It is a natural instinct to carry our bags in the front to ensure that no one touches us inappropriately, but in crowded buses one cannot avoid such situations. We have to travel to our college everyday and so authorities must ensure adequate complaint mechanisms or start women-only buses,” she said. Chaudhary travels from Jhotwara.

On the safety concerns of students inside the campus, RU proctor Prof RA Sharma said, “We did deploy female guards at the university, but they stopped reporting for duty after a few days. Now, we ensure that two guards patrol the campus after evening.”
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