Female students against ‘moral policing’ at hostel

Delhi University’s Hindu College, which recently opened a new women hostel with a set of rules, has raised serious concern among the students.

Some rules in the hostel prospectus ask girls to dress as per normal norms of the society, no visitors including girls will be allowed without prior permission, random checks by the warden at any time, residents should seek permission from the warden when they participate in an event happening inside the college premises.

Swati Mehra, an MA student said, “The rules which have been set by the administration is just regressive and ridiculous. Other DU colleges allow six night-outs to girls in a month but our college is allowing just one. It has imposed curfew timing on us, which would curtail our right to take a walk with friends even within the hostel premises. This is an agenda of turning hostels into a jail. In name of protection, our freedom is being snatched.”

While criticising the annual hostel fee structure, Naina Roy, a first year student said, “The fee structure for women hostel is just exorbitant. We have to pay around '1,20,000 to '1,30,000 per annum while the fee structure for boy’s hostel is just around '50,000. The hostel fee structure will automatically exclude a lot of students from poor and marginalised background from availing the hostel facilities.” However, some students like Latika Grover feel that the set of rules are discriminatory for girls as compared to boys. “These are set of bizarre rules which clearly means we cannot have the same rights like the boys. They are free to do whatever they want but our lives and every movement would be constantly regulated, controlled and limited. What is the use of paying so much and then living like prisoners”.

Not only students of Hindu college, but members of student political organisations also feel the rules restrict the movement of girls. Madhurima Kundu of AISA said, “Hostels are a place of residence, not a place where all freedom should be snatched. Why has the hostel administration put these arbitrary rules only for the residents of the girls’ hostel Also, such curfew timings are pure instance of moral policing and caging women in the name of their safety.”