Female students at IIT Roorkee (IITR) face timing restrictions
due to security concerns. IITR is a non-exclusive campus, outsiders are allowed
to use institute roads. With this constraint in place, clubs like Robotics,
Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) and Thomso (cultural fest team) draws
less number of female members. From last three years, the Student Affairs
Committee (SAC) of IITR has been discussing the proposal with the management,
for removal of the girls’ timing restrictions.
At IITR, girl students are not allowed to leave their
hostels after 9 PM. And those who are out have to return by 11 PM. Students
like to devote their late hours for club activities as it is easy for members
to gather. For example, Robotics team, SAE team or Thomso cultural fest team
prefer to work at night. They spend their day time attending lectures,
preparing assignments etc. This constraints girl students from taking part in
various clubs. There are no girl members in SAE and about 4-5 in Thomso, the
cultural fest society.
The institute has also made it mandatory for female students
to mark their attendance every night. They use a bio-metric system, which
limits proxy attendance. Shanu Singhal, member of SAC at IITR, said, “Every
year two SAC meetings take place and in the last five meetings we have had a
proposal. Our agenda is to remove the timing restrictions for girls. It still
looks unlikely that the institute will do away with prohibitive timings. Though
we have succeeded in extending the time limit from 9 PM to 11 PM in two years.”
Singhal continued, “Whenever we presented our agenda, the
management cross questioned us about security.
This year, we have put in our request under ‘tightening the campus
security’, so that girls can wander inside the institute safely.”
IITR has a porous campus, which makes it difficult for the
management to control the footfalls. Prof Dinesh Kumar Nauriyal, Dean of
Student Welfare at IITR, said, “We are not opposed to SAC’s proposal. Free
movement is required but looking at the ground reality, security is our only
constraint.” The management is open to bring about a change in the campus
nightlife. But since, the campus is open to outsiders, it continues to be a
challenge.
The institute does not want any its students to feel
insecure or anxious if they are wandering around the campus at night. Nauriyal
further added, “We are still thinking about their request. We want the kind of
security arrangements where there is a guarantee that the campus is safe for
female students. Even if they want to roam around at 3 AM.”
On the condition of anonymity, a female student at IITR and
a member of Thomso team, said, “Sometimes my team needed me late in the
night in Spetmeber-October during Thomso 2015. But I was not granted permission. The institute is very strict about timing.
If we get late by even two-five minutes, we have to pay a fine Rs. 100, and if
it is by 30 mins, we are taken to the warden. Though during exams we can stay
out till midnight.”