The students alleged that the varsity selected representatives in an undemocratic manner and was also disregarding UGC guidelines.
Published Oct 18, 2023 | 2:56 AM ⚊ Updated Oct 18, 2023 | 12:49 PM
EFLU students protested outside the administrative building on 17 October. (Supplied)
“The root cause of gender discrimination is the patriarchal mindset prevalent in the Indian society.”
— Minister of Women and Child Development Smriti Zubin Irani in the Lok Sabha on 19 July 2019.
Cut to 2023, the student protest at Hyderabad’s prestigious English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU) demanding the reconstitution of its anti-sexual harassment committee completed 24 hours on the evening of Tuesday, 17 October, before administrative promises gave rise to the need for a fresh meeting.
Around 200-300 students started the demonstration around 8.30 pm on Monday.
They alleged that the varsity was flouting UGC guidelines by not only forming the SPARSH (Sensitisation, Prevention and Redressal of Sexual Harassment) committee the way it did but also curtailing the number of elected representatives.
As per the students, the protest came in the wake of several meetings with the administration regarding the reconstitution of the SPARSH committee that was established in 2014 under an EFLU Ordinance 66 and was based on the 2013 Protection of Women from Sexual Harassment Act.
EFLU students protested overnight on 16 October. (Supplied)
The students, who are protesting in shifts, alleged that the EFLU administration has not made any information public regarding the SPARSH committee’s members.
“The SPARSH committee has been essentially inactive since June. The committee is for the safety of the people who face a lot of incidents of sexual harassment, be it from students, the faculty, or the non-teaching staff,” a PhD student, who is also a member of the EFLU Student’s Collective, told South First on the condition of anonymity.
“Having an anti-sexual harassment committee is a fundamental requirement of any institution as it makes everyone feel safe as a transparent body that deals with this in a prompt and just manner,” said the student.
“I have heard from some acquaintances about their experiences of harassment, and that they found no help.”
The protest was called by the EFLU Student’s Collective and its Coordination Committee, as well as Ambedkarite parties such as the Fraternity Movement and the Students Federation of India (SFI), along with students who are not a part of any political front.
EFLU students gathered inside the campus demanding an anti-sexual harassment committee. (Supplied)
Members of the Akhila Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and the Democratic Students Association (DSA) were also said to be participating in the protest.
“We approached the administration several times and submitted several petitions, but the administration did not give any straight answers,” said the protesting students.
“The supposed chairperson of the SPARSH committee, Revathi Srinivas — a professor in the Department of Materials Development and Testing and Evaluation — has said she does not hold the post,” they added.
The students said that the officials from the EFLU administration addressed them on the night of 16 October.
“They denied the SPARSH committee’s inactivity and lack of transparency while dismissing all the concerns raised by the students. They announced that the committee would be reconstituted, but did not provide a date or acknowledge any of the particular demands made by the students. They stated that a circular would be on Tuesday but there has been no response so far,” said the students.
They said the administration also issued a circular regarding the reconstitution of the SPARSH committee, but immediately retracted it.
South First tried to reach out to the EFLU registrar and public relations officer (PRO), but the calls went unanswered. The story will be updated when a response is received.
As per the students, according to the UGC guidelines, any sexual harassment redressal cell is required to have three elected student representatives but the EFLU ordinance 66 only allows for two student representatives.
“Currently, the two student representatives who are supposedly a part of the SPARSH committee were not chosen by students but rather nominated by the administration without any notice to the students,” a student and member of the Fraternity Movement told South First.
The student added that the EFLU administration implied that it would not take the UGC guidelines into consideration since they weren’t “bound” by them.
“In response to the collective citing UGC guidelines, the Dean of Student Welfare said that the UGC guidelines were ultimately just guidelines. This shows their clear disregard for the well-being and safety of the students,” the students said.
The Students’ Collective called a meeting over this issue and decided to move forward with a sit-in protest at Gate 2 of the university.
The protesting students have now laid down three major demands in front of the varsity, apart from the reconstitution of the SPARSH committee.
These demands are:
“We have now moved our protest to the administration building from the main gate. We will not bow down and we will continue our protest and boycott classes until there is an acceptance to their demands and basic rights in written circular,” a protesting student told South First.
Late on Tuesday, the varsity management reportedly met the students with an olive branch, but it did not lead to a resolution.
“They did not fulfil our demands,” said the students after the meeting, which is said to have taken place around 9 pm.
“They have agreed to elections for representatives, and to reconstitute the committee. They have not given a clear date for the election process,” added the pupils.
“They have given verbal assurances that it will happen alongside the general student union elections, scheduled for next month. They have also not acknowledged the demand for LGBTQIA+ and student representation,” said the students.
They also said the the police were called to the administration campus, where the meeting took place, because students were still there at 10 pm.
“The police threatened to make arrests if we did not move. We decided to convene a general body meeting to discuss further moves,” said the students.
Meanwhile, the students said that they were shown a backdated order regarding the reconstitution of the SPARSH committee on Tuesday night.
“The order they issued was backdated to 11 October. It was never seen before 9 pm on Tuesday. Even though the date on the document says 11 October, it was not released on that day,” claimed a protesting student.
