Several students and activists joined a protest demonstration called by the JNU Students’ Union (JNUSU) outside the University Grants Commission (UGC) on Friday demanding autonomous, democratic and empowered bodies on campuses to deal with cases of sexual harassment.
Replaced by ICC
The JNUSU demanded the UGC’s intervention to restore JNU’s disbanded sexual harassment watchdog GSCASH, which has been replaced by the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC).
The administration has said that it was forming the ICC on orders from the UGC.
Ever since the administration’s move was implemented, the JNUSU has been spearheading an agitation aiming to reinstate the autonomous body and set up similar such bodies at other universities.
“Recently, we have witnessed a massive movement by women students of BHU against sexual harassment. When BHU students demanded action after a horrifying incident of molestation, the warden of the girls’ hostels blamed the women students for going out of the hostel at 6 p.m.,” said the students, adding that it was a case of “institutionalised misogyny”.
‘Fighting a battle’
“Women students have been speaking up against discriminatory rules in campuses and hostels. The student-teacher community of JNU are also fighting a battle to save GSCASH and its autonomous character,” said JNUSU president Geeta Kumari.
The students said that effective intervention was needed to hold the UGC and the Ministry of Human Resource Development accountable in making campus spaces secure, free and non-discriminatory for women students.
They alleged that the ICC will not have many features of the GSCASH, including autonomy, as all members of the body would be nominated by the Vice-Chancellor.
The students said that justice in cases of sexual harassment can only be guaranteed through a body that is founded on the principles of gender justice and is autonomous from existing power hierarchies in the university.
Other than student groups from universities in Delhi, women’s organisations such as Pinjra Tod and Saheli also joined the students in their protest.
A large posse of police personnel along with a water canon vehicle was deployed for crowd control.
