BHU VC Shames Girl Students, Says Ek Ladki Ki Asmita Lekar Tum Log Bazaar Pahunch Gayi

Banaras Hindu University Vice Chancellor Girish Chandra Tripathi is apparently not letting controversies surrounding him to die down. In yet another shocker, he shamed the female students on Wednesday for protesting against the sexual harassment of a girl on the campus on September 21 evening.

The vice chancellor met girl students in their hostels on Wednesday and Thursday evenings possibly in an attempt to put an end to the growing anger against him, but he ended up making other controversial statements thus making the matter worse.

He asked the girls as to why they staged protest and brought “bad name” to the university. “Why did you protest and bring bad name to the university?” he asked saying, “Teachers had called you for a discussion but you did not come.”

He did not stop here only. He gave another shocker when he told residents of Triveni Hostel on Wednesday evening, “Kya ladkiyon ne dharma ka palan kiya? Ek ladki ki asmita lekar bazaar mein pahunch gayi. Kya yeh sahi hai? (Have girls followed their duty? You sold the modesty of a woman with your protests. Is it right?)”

“Only those who follow their duty should talk about duty,” he told the students.

A student present there recorded the conversation on her mobile phone. NewsClick is in posession of the video clip, which has now been uploaded online.

Tripathi not only shamed the students but also a teacher – Pratima Gond – who is the warden of PK Hostel at the varsity’s Mahila Maha Vidyalaya. When he went to meet girls at a hostel of the women’s college on Thursday evening, the residents complained him about the discriminatory curfew timings.

“Be honest to yourself and ask if it is justified to roam around after 8 pm,” he asked students who replied “there is no such rule in other universities, especially in South India”.

“You are studying in UP and BHU will set an example for other educational institutions. This is what we were told,” a student of Ancient History department who was present there told NewsClick.

She added, “We felt embarrassed when he (the vice chancellor) told the warden (Pratima Gond), ‘Aap bahut bolti hain, baith jaiye (You speak much, sit down)’.”

The warden, who teaches sociology, was urging the vice chancellor to stretch the timing for girls to get back their hostels from 8 pm to 9 pm. She was also beaten up mercilessly by the police when she tried to save a student from being thrashed on September 23rd night.

“A female student fell on the ground while cops launched a crackdown on the protesting students. I was also not spared when I went to help the girl. I kept pleading them not to beat me up and told them that I am teacher of the university. But they did not listen and continued striking blows. I was hit on head and rest of the body. I suffered fracture in fingers,” she told the media on Wednesday.

A number of students, mostly women, and two journalists were injured when cops baton charged them in BHU campus on September 23rd night where the protest against the alleged molestation of a girl student turned violent. The violence broke out after some of the agitating students wanted to meet the VC at his residence.

The VC told the media earlier that he is not aware of lathicharge on the students. A probe has been ordered into the incident.