Kamal Ghorui
BENGALURU: Students of National Law School of India University (NLSIU) Bengaluru staged a massive protest on campus on Tuesday night over lack of amenities in hostel and a “second class treatment” of women in the residential facilities on campus. Hundreds of students gathered at the basketball court at 10pm on Tuesday night, which went on till around 4am on Wednesday. Students pointed to the mismatch in the facilities provided in boys hostel and girls hostel. While mens’ hostel has 75 double bed rooms, women have only 40. Instead, women are given 93 three layer-bunk beds (while men have only 18). Men have over triple the three bed cubicle rooms and eight times non-bunk triple sharing than women. In a scathing letter to the administration, students alleged that this is not just a coincidence in how the rooms have been allotted, but a “blatant misogyny at its finest”. “When the ratio of men to women (and other gender minorities) is almost equal currently, why is there such a severe disparity in the number of bunk beds in women’s hostel versus men’s hostel?.. Currently, it is plain and clear as a cloudless day that women are being treated like cattle at this campus. We are being packed into rooms like sardines, there has been no water in most of the women’s hostels for the past three days..” the letter said. The students said that they have been facing water shortage in the girls’ hostels and intermittent power failures across the campus for the past few days. “The rooms are non ventilated as cots are pushed to windows to make space for more beds. The fans are insufficient. While we had requested for more fans, some were installed. But in a short time, many stopped functioning, and there were instances of it falling over as well,” said a student. “There is no power. We wake up every morning in sweat, only to find that there is no water. It is pathetic considering NLSIU is supposed to be the country’s finest law school,” said another student. The protest started with the girls, finding a unified voice and was soon joined by the boys too. They came together near the faculty quarters. Students demanded they meet the vice chancellor, but to no avail. The registrar and campus director met the students. “We understand the red tapism in the institute. So we demand that we meet the VC so that our voices are heard,” a student said. Students are likely to meet the faculty again on Wednesday. “This is the most premier law school in the country. But the infrastructure is not enough to support the growing number of students on campus. We do not have even the basic facilities in hostels,” said another student. NLSIU has been under fire in the past too, over the insufficient hostel facilities for students as it expanded its intake. NLSIU has not responded till the time this article was published.
