Students says they have been asked to get permission preferably from the father as the university feels the mother can easily be "manipulated"
Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) has said that if a female student plans a night out, she must get her parents — preferably her father — to send a text message to the hostel warden. No such rules exist for male students. The move comes amid a raging controversy over discrimination against girls at Banaras Hindu University (BHU).
The diktat of JMI, a central university in Delhi, is applicable to all female students, including undergraduate and postgraduate ones, besides research scholars. The text message from parents should inform the warden about the name and the room number of the student. It should also mention dates of absence from the hostel. Earlier, the residents of girls' hostels only had to get a form filled by their local guardians to get their hostel leaves approved.
Students said they have been asked to get permission preferably from the father as the university feels the mother can easily be "manipulated".
Agitated by the "regressive" move, a group of women from JMI's Hall of Girls Residence (Old) wrote to the Provost, saying the rule has been imposed without giving any prior intimation to them.
"We have been verbally told by the warden and the Provost about this new diktat, and no written notice or circular was issued by the university," said a third-year undergraduate student.
Azra Khursheed, the Provost of the Hall of Girls Residence (Old), however, termed it a "disciplinary" rule rather than a "discriminatory" one.
"There have been several instances of girls saying that they were going to visit their local guardians, but they actually went somewhere else. Keeping in mind their safety and security, the university has decided to keep their parents in the loop," she said.
Asked why such a rule is not there for the residents of boys' hostels, Khursheed said, "The safety of girls is our priority as boys can handle several situations on their own. Moreover, parents of girls trust us with theirs safety when they choose us over hundreds of PGs available around Jamia campus."
"The rule is a sheer violation of our privacy. We are capable of taking our own decisions. We don't need our parents' permission for each and every thing," said a PhD scholar.
Meanwhile, some residents of boys' hostels also criticised the move. "This is not the first time when different rules are being imposed on girls. The university has set a curfew limit of 8 pm for them even as there is no such limit for us. Unlike girls, we don't need to mark attendance every night," a first-year management student said.
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