Sonali Kokra - BHU's Sordid History Of Sexual Violence // BHU VC's Reaction To Sexual Assault Follows India's Time-Tested Formula Of 'Bharatiya Sanskaar'
Shutting down the
university by prolonging Dussehra holidays might offer some immediate respite
to the powers that be at Banaras Hindu University (BHU), in the immediate
aftermath of the student
unrest, angry protests and violence that broke out on campus after a
brazen incident of sexual harass-ment came to light on Thursday, 21 September.
It is unlikely to make the matter go away. As details about the
incident emerge, it is becoming increasingly clear that the students' outrage
is not over one isolated incident — anger has been simmering in them for a long
time over the pitiable state of security measures to ensure women's safety on
the campus and the blasé attitude with which past cases have been dealt with.
Hostel Rules Of Indian Colleges - Gross Misogyny In Action
A Rapist Culture - read for the 2012 agitation; and V.D. Savarkar's advocacy of punitive rape in Six Glorious Epochs of Indian History, Rajdhani Granthagar 1963, translated 1971. Chapter 8 is entitled 'Perverted conception of virtues'. See pages 179. Savarkar is the Sangh Parivar's icon. Sadguna vikriti - the term he used to criticise Shivaji's decency towards Muslim women, is in the Hindi version.
BHU has a sordid
history of sexual violence, especially in the last couple of years. Ever since
the appointment of current vice-chancellor, GC Tripathi, in 2014, the
university has been a hotbed for protests over gender-based discrimination.
2016 was among the most turbulent and violent years in the 101-year-old
university's history. In January 2016, a
research scholar at BHU was allegedly repeatedly
raped by her senior. In April, clashes
between students of the science and arts faculties ended in bullets being fired
and at least 10 students injured, according to a twocircles.net report. In August 2016, a
19-year-old male student was allegedly gangraped by five men in a moving car
with the university logo. After raping him in turns, the men dumped him near
the agricultural department of the university. Reportedly, neither
the patrolling vehicle of the proctorial board, nor the security staff bothered
to stop the rapists' car as it drove around the campus for a long time.
'So many
incidents happen every day, we don't give statements on everything' - BHU VC
When the victim
contacted the police to file a complaint, he was discouraged to do so. When he
insisted, the case was finally registered, but a full four days after he first
approached the police for help. The rape victim also claims that he was forced
to go through a second medical examination after the incident, despite the
doctors confirming rape in the first test. The victim, his family, and friends
have alleged that the university administration and police were trying to hush
up the matter and in the interim three days, tried their hardest to intimidate
the victim to drop the case.
According to a report
in the Newslaundry, the police fully intended to bury the case to suppress
the controversy that would inevitably emerge if it became public knowledge, but
were forced to take action when local media reported on the incident. Even
though the victim identified one of his attackers as one of the lab attendants
in the Institute of Medical Sciences in BHU, an
arrest was made only 18 days later in the case. BHU's vice chancellor,
GC Tripathi even justified the university's silence on the matter by saying,
"So many incidents happen every day, we don't give statements on
everything," In January this year,
a women's cell and helpline were announced by the VC after widespread protests
against sexual harassment by students. However, just two days later, a drunken
police constable allegedly harassed two female students of IIT-BHU. Reportedly,
no action was taken against him…read more:
BHU VC's Reaction To Sexual Assault Follows Time-Tested Formula Of 'Bharatiya Sanskaar'
The Vice Chancellor of
Banaras Hindu University (BHU) has some advice for irate female students.
He knows how to keep
them safe. He apparently told a woman, who complained that she
was molested, that she should forget about the incident. "Why don't you
stop stepping out after 6 pm if you dislike such things? You're a
girl. Don't try to become a boy."
The incident was
triggered by a young woman returning to the hostel around 7 pm. She said
she was waylaid by some men on a motorcycle near the Proctor's office and
security guards did nothing. On the contrary, she says she got an earful for
being out late. Sharif girls (good girls) don't stay out late
it seems. The vice-chancellor GC
Tripathi is an RSS man. Though he has not confirmed, he did in fact say this to
the aggrieved student, and it's quickly been seized upon by those opposed to
the BJP/RSS as yet more proof of its regressive politics. Angry students tried
to enter the VC's residence and police resorted to a lathicharge resulting in a
dozen students being hospitalised... read more:
http://www.huffingtonpost.in/2017/09/25/faced-with-sexual-assault-on-campus-bhu-is-taking-the-easy-way-out_a_23221567/?ncid=tweetlnkinhpmg00000001
Seamus Heaney’s Advice to the Young. BY MARIA POPOVA“you’ve got to tell the world how to treat you... if the world tells you how you are going to be treated, you are in trouble” James Baldwin
http://www.firstpost.com/india/bhu-students-protests-women-resisting-gender-discrimination-in-college-is-only-way-to-bring-in-change-4083641.html
