Pinjra Tod: Huge Protest at RIE Bhopal Over ‘Strict’ Hostel Rules

Protesting students want their hostel curfew timings to be revised.

Protesting students have been demanding relaxation of curfew timings in their respective hostels.

(Photo Courtesy: Pinjra Tod/Facebook)

The Regional Institute of Education in Bhopal is witnessing a huge #PinjraTod movement against regressive hostel rules for women students.

Pinjra Tod is an autonomous collective effort to ensure secure, affordable and non-gender discriminatory accommodation for women students.

The female students of the institute, who had gathered at a silent protest after submitting their list of demands on 13 September, marched towards the Principal’s office on the morning of 15 September, after the authorities did not take cognisance.

Few of their demands include –

• Curfew time be extended from 6 pm to 10 pm on all days.
• Hostelers be allowed to go for outings from 5 am to 10 pm, excluding college hours.
• Hostel warden be a non-academic female, food and other delivery be allowed to the respective hostels till 10 pm every day.
• Female hostelers be allowed to keep their personal vehicles etc.

On the official Facebook page of Pinjra Tod, the students alleged that almost all their demands were turned down with an attempt to prolong the dialogue and tire out the students.

The Facebook post also says, “These are adult women who are capable of making their decisions, and yet the administration patronises them and denies them their agency by first invoking parental permission and second, undermining their ability to assert themselves.”