Transgender student’s long wait for hostel room at Panjab University continues

Yashika, who is pursuing a master’s degree at the university’s Centre for Human Rights and Duties, is on the merit list of students eligible for a hostel room, but has not been allotted a room

With no dedicated lodging facility available for transgender students, Panjab University is in a fix over providing hostel accommodation to one such post-graduate student.

As an interim measure, the transgender student has been put up at the Rajiv Gandhi College Bhawan, a guest house on Panjab University’s Sector 14 campus. (AP/for representation only)

Yashika, who is pursuing a master’s degree at the university’s Centre for Human Rights and Duties, is on the merit list of students eligible for a hostel room.

But in the absence of a policy regarding hostel allotment for transgender students, she has not been provided a room. As an interim measure, she has been put up at the Rajiv Gandhi College Bhawan, a guest house on the university’s Sector 14 campus.

“I have been demanding a hostel room since October last year. Even though my classes have resumed in physical mode, I don’t have permanent lodging despite being on the merit list,” Yashika said.

She had even raised the issue with the Chandigarh administration last year, following which the varsity had informed the director, social welfare, women and child development, UT, that they had proposed the constitution of a committee on this matter. But months later, no final call has been taken at the varsity’s end.

Notably, the Centre for Human Rights and Duties had earlier allocated Yashika the solitary hostel seat reserved for an SC woman, as she met the reservation criteria.

Through a letter earlier this week, the centre had requested the office of the dean students’ welfare (DSW) that the SC woman category seat be allocated to Yashika, who identifies as a transwoman, in consonance with the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019.

The centre had also asked the DSW office to review the matter in light of the UGC circular (February 2, 2015) as well as the Act’s Section 3 (A), which provides that no person or establishment shall discriminate against a transgender person through denial, discontinuation or unfair treatment in educational establishments and services thereof.

The centre’s joint academic and administrative committee (JAAC) had also recommended that since no separate hostel accommodation existed for transgender persons, either any vacant faculty house or a section of the international hostel may be considered for allocation as a temporary arrangement.

When contacted, DSW Jagtar Singh said, “The matter is under active consideration and a decision will be taken very soon.”