Mumbai: After receiving flak from female students residing in Mumbai University’s (MU) Kalina campus over being prohibited from using the proposed 24-hour library post 11pm, MU has informed the protesting students that women students will now be allowed to borrow required books from the library and read them inside the reading room of the hostel. Earlier, students were not allowed to borrow books. However, women students are still not permitted to leave their hostel after 11pm.
Many students expressed unhappiness with the solution proposed by MU and said they would continue their protest.
Education minister Vinod Tawde said he inquired with MU officials about the issue. Mr Tawde said, “There are certain restrictions in the hostel manual that are to be followed for safety reasons. For the time being I have directed the MU to allow female students to borrow books for reading in the night allowing them to read in the hostel. The issue will be solved amicably and the students should now stop protesting.”
A letter written by MU to the protesting students late Saturday night said that for the time being, a book lending system will be made available for the female students wherein they can borrow the book and read them in the reading room of the hostel. “The MU would also form a committee with members from the parents and teachers association to look into the matter of allowing female students to step out of the hostel post 11pm,” the letter said.
The Asian Age had reported on Sunday as to how an alleged decision by MU vice-chancellor Sanjay Deshmukh has not got down well with female students residing in the campus to disallow them from entering the proposed 24-hour library post 11 pm. Students from the campus along with members of the student union had protested against the decision and started a hunger strike.
However, MU’s solution to the problem has not got down well with female students. “How can this be a solution that we can borrow books but not go out of the hostel whereas this rule of not stepping out of the hostel is not imposed on the male students? We see male students surpassing the deadline of the hostel every other day,” said a female student not wishing to be named.
She further added, “The solution is very discriminatory in the name of security. Why will a committee decide whether female students can step out of their hostel post 11pm or not? The committee should also decide this for male students if (it does so) for females. We are not accepting this solution and are going to continue with our protest.”
