Poster at Hindu college freshers’ meet objectifying women draws protests

Women’s campaign, Pinjra Tod, shared an image of the alleged poster on social media that was reportedly put up in the college during Freshers Day celebrations last week.

Students groups have condemned a poster allegedly put in Delhi University’s Hindu College for objectifying women.

Women’s campaign, Pinjra Tod, shared an image of the alleged poster on social media that was reportedly put up in the college during Freshers Day celebrations last week. (Hindustan Times)

Women’s campaign, Pinjra Tod, shared an image of the alleged poster on social media that was reportedly put up in the college during Freshers Day celebrations last week.

Pinjra Tod members are known to stand up against discriminatory rules and regulations against women in universities and colleges.

The Pinjra Tod had called the poster one of “the many ways in which patriarchy reinforces itself everyday in our campuses to convey the message that we may be studying in a university, we may be sitting in classes together, but women are to be primarily seen as sexual objects of exchange amongst men.”

On Thursday, Brijesh Tiwari, the prime minister of the Hindu College parliament, released a statement on his Facebook page, condemning the poster.

Tiwari said the student body unanimously condemned “the usage of such gendered and misogynist phrases on campus or anywhere else.”

“This is an issue of administrative lapse on the part of the organisers, who should have paid attention in good time and got the poster removed. It will be an endeavour for the parliament to stay vigilant in this regard in the future,” he said.

Tiwari told HT that the tagline has been circulation for at least two years. “I don’t understand why it is being raised as an issue now,” he said.

Anju Srivastav, the principal of the Hindu College, reiterated that the event was organised by the student body for the freshers and the administration did not partake in it. “We have sought written responses from the organisers, including Brijesh (Tiwari) about how they let this objectionable and derogatory message through,” said Srivastav.