BHU: PENTUP ANGER IS STILL SIMMERING
In 1977, the departments of music and medicine at Banaras Hindu University (BHU) had a slugfest over a piece of land around one kilometre west from one of the university’s entrance gates known as Lanka Gate. At the behest of the then students’ union, the land was converted into a ground called Madhuban in which various departments would display their products – such as the installation of a nude woman put up by the Arts faculty. Madhuban also became a spot where couples would routinely hang out. The park had no gates and no timings.
Today, Madhuban closes at 6pm. And the art installation is often found covered with a piece of cloth.
“This is how regressive BHU has become in the last three decades,” said Chanchal, who was the president of the university student union at that time (there has been no union since 1997). “Students at BHU are conscious adults who can vote and are intelligent enough to choose a government. They need not be told who to meet and at what time,” he added.
Violent protests broke out at BHU last week after a female student’s complaint of sexual harassment and the protest that followed was dealt with by a police lathi charge.
After the crackdown by the police and the announcement of early vacations, students are unsure if the protest will revive once the campus reopens. “All of us were really happy to see that finally, we could register our protest. But then came the festive season. It has made things little uncertain,” said Shreya Pant, a postgraduate student at BHU. “Also, the girls who have returned home will be under tremendous pressure from their parents who will counsel them to stay away from protests.”
What direction the protest takes also depends on the fate of BHU vice chancellor
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