MMC students protest ban on jeans, cell phones

Students of Magadh Mahila College staged a protest on Monday against the college administration’s decision to stop them from wearing jeans and sleeveless tops on the campus. More than 24 students gathered under the aegis of All India Students’ Association (AISA) and waved banners and posters at the college gate.

Students of Magadh Mahila College staged a protest on Monday against the college administration’s decision to stop them from wearing jeans and sleeveless tops on the campus. More than 24 students gathered under the aegis of All India Students’ Association (AISA) and waved banners and posters at the college gate.

“Students are sensible enough to understand what to wear and what not to,” said the protesters. They also slammed the college administration for banning mobile phones on the campus and said that instead of protecting women from atrocities, the college and the state government were making them the culprits.

“We use mobiles to contact our parents and friends in case of any emergency or to exchange useful information. The administration should lift the senseless bans,” the girls said. AISA members Divya, Neetu, Anita, Atula, Sudhir, Mokhtar, Nikhil, Tarique and others addressed the gathering.

Talking to HT, AISA state secretary Abhyuday said the bans violated the students’ rights to take decisions and prevented them from expressing themselves. “Women are soft targets for eve-teasing and every other crime. That should be stopped. Colleges should not impose unnecessary moral diktat,” he added.

One of the teachers of the college, under the condition of anonymity, said most of the big colleges of the country have banned cell phones and imposed a strict dress code for the students. “It is for their own good. Considering the growing incidents of eve teasing, it is in their interest that they look sober,” said the teacher.