India’s premier law university RGNUL students’ sounds revolt bugle against vice chancellor for violation of privacy
Kanwar Inder Singh/ royalaptiala.in News/ September 22,2024
An alleged deeply concerning incident has taken place at India’s premier institute Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law (RGNUL), Patiala where the Vice Chancellor Jai Shankar Singh entered the rooms of female students in the girls’ hostel without their consent or prior notice. This inappropriate and intrusive action has caused significant discomfort and raised serious concerns about student safety.
Due to his alleged action, the students’ sounds revolt bugle and started agitation demanding removal of newly appointed vice chancellor of the university Jai Shankar Singh.
In the evening the vice chancellor came out of his official residence and asked protesting students to go back to their hostel rooms and they will sit together tomorrow morning and sort out this issue. However the students didn’t budge to his request and decided to sit on dharna outside his residence, throughout the night.
As per reports, earlier the Vice-Chancellor of the University had decided to do a surprise check in some of the rooms of the girls’ hostel in the first and the third year specifically.
Objecting to this surprise check in any room, girl’s students raised alarm that it’s a complete violation of privacy. Furthermore, a male member cannot be allowed to enter the rooms of the female students irrespective of how many female faculty members/ guards accompany him, this act is a complete disregard for the integrity and privacy of the female students.
Girls’ students also raised that “it is imperative to point out that the University rules do not even allow our own mothers to enter our rooms, yet, a male member and the senior most in the administration was doing the same. Hostel rooms are the four walls between which the students sit in a comfortable environment. Entering the rooms of female students is invading into their space, the student can be in the clothes she feels most comfortable in, something she does not wish anyone else to see her in”.
Protesting students said “entering the room despite clear apprehensions expressed by the female students is a complete disregard for the consent of the female students. The Vice-Chancellor of a law university is expected to understand consent, privacy and boundaries of the students. If we cannot expect the Vice-Chancellor to respect the consent of female students, what example are they setting for the boys? Furthermore, the Vice-Chancellor has made certain comments on the clothing and the visible bra straps of the female students. This act is intolerable and no student of the university would tolerate such comments on the clothing of women”.
“However, despite the students’ resistance, the Vice Chancellor entered their rooms and asked inappropriate questions, including, “Aapne shorts kyun pehni hai,” further violating their personal space and right to privacy” added Sanya a girl student of the university.
Such behavior from a figure of authority is unacceptable. The incident has led to widespread demands for Jai Shankar Singh’s removal as Vice Chancellor and a full investigation into his actions. The university must take swift and strict measures to ensure that student privacy is respected and that such violations do not occur again.
VC Jai Shankar has denied the allegations. Speaking to a correspondent of a newspaper , said that he had visited the girls’ hostel to address the complaints regarding overcrowding due to dual-sharing arrangements. He explained that the university had admitted more female students this year, leading to the space constraints. “I was accompanied by a female student and the hostel superintendent, who is a senior faculty member, during my visit. The students themselves took me to their rooms to show me the issues they have been facing. I visited 20 rooms. The accusations of me questioning their clothing or any other misconduct are completely baseless. I am over 60 years old. These students are just like my granddaughters. I will never misbehave with them,” he said.
