Students belonging to Backward Classes and Minority (BCM) hostels living on Bangalore University’s Jnana Bharathi campus participated in a day-long token fight on Friday, where they chose not to eat their lunch in the canteen to protest poor infrastructure and lack of measures to ensure student safety.
One student spoke about the dimly-lit and poorly maintained road to the hostel. “We have been complaining to authorities about our safety. We feel threatened by men who misbehave with us. But no action has been taken,” a student said.
Students also complained that there was very little food provided in the canteen. Clogged toilets were another concern. “We have complained about clogged toilets several times. They last cleared them two months ago. When it got clogged again, the authorities said that we would have to pay money for maintenance,” another student said.
When contacted, M. Muniraju, Vice-Chancellor, Bangalore University, said that the issue was not brought to his notice and that students would have to approach the Department of Social Welfare as the hostel falls under its purview. The department takes care of the lodging and catering expenses, he added.
