7 varsities get DCW notice over different timings for boys, girls

The Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) has issued notices to seven universities and colleges for having different entry and exit timings for boys and girls in their respective hostels.

In May, DCW had issued notice to 23 universities and two institutes seeking to know their existing rules for availing hostel facilities along with the annual fee following allegations of gender discrimination.

The move came in the wake of the commission launching an enquiry into a report compiled by a student activist group called ‘Pinjra Tod’, alleging that women faced discriminatory rules and living circumstances in hostel accommodations in the national Capital. 

“Commission has prima facie found different entry and exit timings for hostels for girls and boys in seven universities and colleges — Netaji Subhash Institute of Technology, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Jamia Hamdard, Jamia Millia Islamia, Shri Ram College of Commerce, Delhi Technological University and Ayurvedic & Unani Tibbia College,” a DCW statement said.

“We have issued a notice to the principal and registrar of the same to explain reason for the discriminatory practice. 10 institutions have not provided any information till date to the commission and heads of the same have been summoned by the commission on November 1-3,” it added. 

The commission also noted that 12 institutions — Keshav Mahavidyalaya, Ambedkar University, National Law University, Ramjas College, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Shri Venkasteshwara College, University College for Medical Sciences, Jawahar Lal Nehru University, National School of Drama, Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, Maulana Azad Medical College and National Institute of Technology — have same timings of entry and exit for girls and boys. 

“We believe that there should be no discriminatory rules in the institutions on the basis of gender. We have also written to colleges to list out the challenges faced by them, including lack of proper policing, streetlights and other issues which might be preventing them from exercising uniform guidelines,” DCW chief Swati Maliwal said.

“We have assured the institutions that we will work towards addressing the concerns of the universities so that rules in institutions of higher learning are non discriminatory. However, discrimination free campuses are a non negotiable,” she said.