Continuing their demands for curfew-free women’s hostels, Pinjra Tod, an independent collective of students from across the Capital, has started an online petition that will be sent to Union Minister of Human Resource Development Prakash Javadekar.
Protesting against the discriminatory rules that women students often face while pursuing higher studies, the letter to the Minister stated that the “curfew on women students are no more a universally accepted norm and they stand universally challenged”.
“The humiliating practice of imposing curfew on women students bar us from accessing basic university and social resources, violates our fundamental rights as citizens, infantilises us and is in direct conflict with our autonomy. This attitude of protection has never and will not keep women safe,” the letter stated.
‘Unconstitutional’ rules
The student’s group also pointed out regulations that were put forth by the Ministry itself. “Your own regulations dated May 2016 have declared restriction on women’s mobility as unjustified for universities to impose” the petition read.
Calling the existing set of rules ‘unconstitutional’, the letter said: “Our educational institutions must stop caging women.”
The online petition which was started on October 17, has already gathered more than 1,300 supporters.
