With the recent Chandigarh University leaked videos scandal, the safety of girls at institutions is again in question. At a University where the curfew time for women is 7 pm, it is alleged that videos of 60 students taking baths in the hostel were leaked. While there are allegations that a student made these videos without the girls' knowledge and leaked them, Punjab Police claims that the accused student had deleted some videos from her phone and had only left one video in the gallery, of herself. The Police have arrested three in the case so far, including the female student.
Chandigarh University student protests, conflicting claims, the alleged involvement of political figures, the authorities not taking responsibility, and the case becoming larger than it seems, it's unfortunate to see that it's the students in the hostel who feel displaced, unheard and disappointed at the end of the day. A first-year student (we're refraining from using her name) at Chandigarh University spoke to SheThePeople.TV and narrated details about the latest developments inside the hostel and shared how the freshers at the University are scared and disappointed.
Suggested reading: Punjab CM Forms All-Women-SIT To Probe Chandigarh University MMS Case
Fear And Disappointment In Hostel: Chandigarh University Student
The student tells us that with massive chaos at the university, the authorities have now issued a week's holiday for everyone to calm down following the two-day protest. She feels it may also be in line with the idea of reducing the number of students on the campus so that there are fewer protests in the coming days. "Last night the university issued a week's holiday following the two-day protests. Girls are forced to leave the hostels and go home. I personally am residing at my cousin's house in Mohali after hostel authorities have asked everyone to leave for home," she shared.
The protest uproar in the past two days has shaken the country's core with an incident as grave as this surfacing from the University which is located at the Ludhiana-Chandigarh road.
How do you think the authorities are dealing with the entire circumstance given that conflicting narratives are floating?
The Student claims "authorities and especially the hostel staff have continuously blamed the students for causing a ruckus on the campus, stating that everything we're claiming is baseless. The time for the girls' hostel has always been 7:00 pm and everybody has been following all their rules for long now even after so much noise, they're continuously asking us to stop spreading misinformation and they've no correct information either."
While one roommate took bath, the other just stood outside to guard. Every hour an ambulance was arriving at the hostel because girls were panicking and fainting.
The student who is currently out of campus shared that fear is leading to serious bouts of anxiousness among students, especially freshers who have recently joined the university. Students residing in the hostel feel let down by the university itself, and the chaos around them has been mentally disturbing for most of them and their families. "Freshers are petrified," she says. She further tells us about the day when the news broke out, adding, "the day the news came out, girls broke down the gates of hostels to come out and protest. The next morning there was dead silence in the corridors. While one roommate took bath, the other just stood outside to guard. Every hour ambulance was arriving at the hostel because girls were panicking and fainting."
The University tweeted, "We are always with our students, be it their academic aspirations or their safety and well-being. We will leave no stone unturned to live it upto this commitment towards our students." Earlier in a statement however, RS Bawa, Pro-Chancellor, Chandigarh University, said "All the rumors of objectionable videos shot of other girl students are totally false and baseless."
On Monday, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann set up a three-member all-women Special Investigation Team (SIT) for further investigation of the matter. Senior IPS officer Gurpreet Kaur Deo is set to lead the SIT team. The court has now remanded the three accused in the case to seven-day police custody,
according to reports.
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