Punjab Advocate General Atul Nanda interacts with protesting students in Patiala on Tuesday. (Express photo by Harmeet Sodhi) Punjab Advocate General Atul Nanda interacts with protesting students in Patiala on Tuesday. (Express photo by Harmeet Sodhi)

Six days after protests erupted at the Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law (RGNUL) in Patiala against the administration, students Tuesday called off demonstrations after Vice-Chancellor Paramjit Singh Jaswal accepted all their demands.

Jaswal’s announcement came hours after Punjab Advocate General Atul Nanda met students to discuss issues including better hostel timings and library access for girls till 1 am at par with boys, the constitution of a high-level inquiry committee against administrative officer Captain (retd) SP Singh against his alleged sexist remarks, constitution of a democratically elected students’ body and revoking an order to suspend six students on March 14 for protesting poor quality of food in the hostel mess.

Students Tuesday also filed a complaint with the National Commission for Women against alleged “sexist” remarks and “moral policing” by university officials. The 22-page complaint — The Indian Express has a copy — has testimonies of 40 girl students against SP Singh, the V-C and other administration officials including hostel wardens.

In a separate complaint to Chancellor and Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court Justice Krishna Murari on March 16, the students alleged that university officials also used such remarks to target not just the girls but boys as well. The boys alleged that Singh showered abuses on them and called them “liquor addicts” and “womanisers”.

Though, university officials said that Singh was being “sent on compulsory leave” and will be barred from the campus pending an enquiry, the administrative officer found nothing wrong in his alleged sexist remarks and tried to justify them by saying that there was a “biological difference between girls and boys which is natural and that girls are more vulnerable when they move out”.

On Tuesday, Nanda claimed that “the five student representatives have given us in writing that they will withdraw their complaints” against university authorities after the agreement was reached, the girl students said that their complaint against Singh submitted to NCW will continue to stand and the protest has been called off only after authorities assured an enquiry against him.

“We called off the stir only after assurance of an independent enquiry against SP Singh and our complaint against him to NCW still stands,” said one of the girls, who asked not to be named in print.

As per the written agreement provided to students, “The suspension of six students stands revoked unconditionally and the enquiry into the conduct of Captain SP Singh shall be conducted by the way of an independent enquiry by a judicial officer nominated by Chancellor, RGNUL, Punjab. Effective forthwith Captain SP Singh is being sent on compulsory leave till the conclusion of the enquiry. He will not be allowed access to the university premises. The enquiry shall be concluded within 3 months”.

Further, the university has agreed to permit students to constitute a students representative general body. “The students are permitted to enter the university gate main campus by 8 pm. The hostel timings for both boys and girls will be 12.00 midnight. Provided students will only have access to the following designated areas within the university campus between 8 pm to 12 am- library, facility area (including sports complex) and main gate (towards inside only)”.

Singh, who remained superintendent of jails at Patiala and Amritsar, continued to stick to his stand and sought to take a moral high position claiming that he was only concerned about the girls’ safety.

“Girls and boys are biologically different. Girls are more vulnerable…you can’t work hard to become a boy if you are a girl… I am just concerned for their security. When it comes to safety and security, girls are more vulnerable. Ladka aur ladki mein farak to hai na (There is a difference between girls and boys). If girls roam out till 2 am, everyone gets worried”.

Singh, who faced a vigilance enquiry for alleged bungling of funds at Amritsar central jail in 2005, added that if “girls are out for whole night, we have right to know where they were and with whom and I also rap boys if they come late but I am more concerned for girls”.

Vice-chancellor Jaswal, meanwhile, said that whatever complaints “students filed against us,” they will withdraw them. “There were no allegations against me personally,” he added.

The protests began on March 13 when students banged empty plates on the table after maggots were allegedly found in rice, dal and vegetables in the hostel mess. The next day, the university suspended six boys, who were also asked to leave the hostel, triggering more protests across the campus.

Speaking to The Indian Express, students said they were treated like “prisoners” and that riot police were deployed on campus.

A fifth-year law student said, “While on paper, the hostel timings for both boys and girls is 9 pm, it is not implemented that way. Boys can come even until 1 am and if we enter hostel at 9.01 pm, calls are made to parents saying your daughter was roaming out with someone. The library is open for students till 1 am but only boys can access it not girls as we have to be in the hostel by 9 pm,” she said. “We were only demanding equality”.

Some of the 40 sexist remarks listed by students in complaint to NCW

* Ye gender equality ka chashma utaaro

* Ladke kuch bhi karein koi farak nahi padta

* I identify you as girls before I identify you as students’

* RGNUL ki ladkiyon par bahar ‘available’ ka tag laga hua hai aur humein is baat se sharam aati hai

* College ke baad beer ke tub mai doob jana

These remarks were allegedly made by RGUNL administrative officer Captain (retd) S P Singh.

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