The students of Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law (RGNUL) in Patiala organized a protest on Sunday evening, accusing the vice-chancellor of violating the privacy of female students in their hostel. The protest in the form of a ‘dharna’ took place outside the vice-chancellor’s residence which is located inside the campus. According to the students, the vice-chancellor Prof (Dr) Jai Shankar Singh made a surprise visit for inspection in the girls’ hostel, during which he criticized the girls’ choice of clothes, an action as per students say violated their privacy.
One of the protesting students emphasized that it’s not acceptable for a male authority figure to enter the rooms of female students, despite how many female staff members or guards are present. As per a student, the incident was a severe violation of the integrity and privacy of the female students. Speaking to The Indian Express, Singh refused to pass out any remarks on women and mentioned that he went to the girls’ hostel to find out the students who smoke and drink alcohol after midnight as he had received several complaints regarding the same.
Singh further stated that he has received a lot of complaints regarding some students who drink and smoke inside the hostel after midnight and do not let them study. He went inside the hostel for inspection along with the female wardens. Some girls were themselves showing their rooms to him. There are only some students in every batch who are creating an issue whereas others are attending their classes. All the students are like his daughters and he has not passed on any comments on students’ clothes. All allegations against him are false. According to the university’s spokesperson, a meeting between the college administration and the students has been arranged to solve the issue. The protest continued all night outside the V-C’s residence while students demanded his resignation on immediate resignation.