DU students protest against ‘gaushala’ construction in place of women’s hostel at Hansraj College
Students protested outside the University of Delhi’s Hansraj College against the establishment of a cow conservation and research center on campus, demanding that a women’s hostel be built instead. The Students’ Federation of India (SFI) department of Hansraj College claims a “gaushala” has been built on the site set aside for a women’s hostel. The students said the ‘gaushala’ will not be tolerated and that a women’s hostel should be built on the site.
Rama Sharma, director of Hansraj College, has denied it is a ‘gaushala’ and said only one cow was kept at the Swami Dayanand Cow-Protection and Research Center for research purposes. She also said that architects had informed university authorities that the site where the center is located is in a decline and therefore no hostel can be built.
“The unavailability of safe and cheap housing facilities is one of the biggest problems female students face and discourages them from leaving their hometowns to study in cities, which is a growing problem for our country,” said Mushfin, unit secretary from SFI. , Hansraj College.
The protest, launched by the SFI, was supported by other student organizations such as the All India Students’ Association and the Krantikari Yuva Sangathan. The students protested outside the college, carrying placards with slogans such as “Save Public Education”, “Priorize Student Welfare”, “No to Saffronization of Education” and “We are reclaiming our campus”.
Aditi Tyagi, unit president of SFI, Hindu College, said the construction of the ‘gaushala’ is “embarrassing” as there are only a few hostels for women in Delhi University with exorbitant costs.
The SFI claimed it will launch a campaign to demand that every college build a hostel. “The SFI will unite students from across the university for this campaign,” said Abhishek Kumar, member of the SFI Delhi State Committee.
