Pinjra Tod submits memorandum to DU

Will launch protest if demands not met

Pinjra Tod, a women’s rights collective, has submitted a memorandum, ‘Charter of Demands’, to the Vice-Chancellor, Proctor and Dean of Students’ Welfare of Delhi University, saying that it will launch an indefinite protest on October 8 if its demands are not met.

18 demands

The charter lists 18 demands, which include curfew-less nights for the university’s women’s hostels, abolishing the practice of having local guardians and having an emergency local contact number instead, assurance of supply of good-quality drinking water and need-based allocation of hostel seats instead of merit-based ones.

The women’s rights collective has been actively appealing for these demands for three years now, through protests, petitions, night marches, press conferences, etc.

It has also involved the authorities in negotiations on various occasions, often aided by the Delhi Commission for Women.

No substantial action

Despite this, no substantial action has been taken by Delhi University authorities so far. The collective has claimed that the authorities have not even implemented the University Grants Commission guidelines.

Privatisation

It has also claimed that the privatisation of the public university, under the State’s commitment to the WTO-GATS agreement, will make it even more inaccessible to students.