straighteners

epilators

students

Savitribai Phule Pune University

such as hair dryers

straighteners and epilators. Distressed

pro-vice chancellor

Bioinformatics

Life forstaying at the girls’ hostel of(SPPU) seems to have turned into a veritable prison sentence, with them being subjected to constant surveillance in the name of security. Having imposed restrictions on the electrical equipment the inmates can use in their rooms, the security staff has given itself the license to riffle through the personal belongings of the students and confiscate even the gadgets not banned,, the girls protested the harassment seeking audience with the varsity officials to discuss the matter.TheN S Umarani, who was apprised of the situation on Friday admitted that the hostel rules prohibited the use of electric kettles, induction stoves and electric irons, as a safety mandate to avoid episodes of short circuit and resultant fire. But the use of personal grooming equipment was not part of that list.However, the girls complained that these were also being taken away, and disturbingly the inspections were being conducted at random hours, from crack of dawn (6 am) to late mornings when the students were away in their classes. The students — at least 35 of them registered their protest on Friday —pointed out that the inspections were carried out in a rude manner with their personal belongings being flung around during the exercise.“Two days ago they carried out a search in my room in my absence. They walked away with my hair dryer and straightener. These personal effects are basic to modern living and we should be allowed them. Such objects are not part of the list of banned electrical items,” protested Snehal Ware, who is doing her second year of Master’s at the department of Media and Communication Studies.The girls also complained of moral policing by the security personnel, scoffing at their clothing and the hours they sometimes need to keep. “Last week we had our department’s freshers party, so we were in party wear. As we left the building, the staff passed snide remarks about our clothes, which is very discomfiting,” informed another post-graduate student from the Institute ofand Biotechnology, on condition of anonymity.In fact, the behaviour of the security staff is at the centre of the complaints made on Friday. “The manner in which they speak to us is very derogatory. They judge us if we seek a late pass or stay out the night and have no compunctions of letting us know what they think. Also during inspection, they misbehave with us and our stuff,” said Rachna Pardeshi a Master’s student of Defence and Strategic Studies.Another stumbling block for the girls is that every permission they seek, has to be written out in Marathi, at the insistence of the security members. “If we write it in English they chide us for not knowing the language,” informed another student with the English department. Even if the letter is written out in Marathi their language is critiqued by the guards. “If we are taking a flight which depart spast midnight or at dawn and we have to leave the hostel at odd hours, despite having already sought permission we’re subjected to a lot of questioning which delays us,” she added, noting that it is increasingly becoming difficult to stay in the hostel and putting up with such arrogance from the security staff.The students also demanded a common room/area or pantry, where they could avail ironing facilities and other electrical equipment they are not allowed to use in their rooms. They also drew attention to the malfunctioning sanitary pad vending machine and the water heater. They raised health concerns about the old damp building given to fungus on its walls.Acknowledging the issues raised, Bageshri Manthalkar, a senate member of SPPU told Mirror, “Many girls have complained about the condition of the hostel and the lack of maintenance. We’ve already requisitioned that they be provided a common area to take care of some of their basic needs such as water heating, boiling milk or eggs and ironing their clothes. These are basic amenities that they are entitled to while living in a hostel. Also personal use items such as epilators, hair dryers or straighteners are common requirement of girls today and they should be allowed to use them in their rooms.”For his part Umarani argued, “The security staff and rectors are there for the protection of the girls. They sometimes have to resort to shouting to bring about discipline. Yet I’ve instructed all staff members to treat the girls with respect. I have asked the estate department to look into the maintenance work required at the hostel and get it started at the earliest. We also accepted the students’ demand for an ironing room and it will be availed to them in a few days. As for the personal use gadgets, the students can use them in their rooms but have to declare the items to the rector so there is a data base in times of emergency.”