Karnataka: CUK students protest against 'moral policing'

A group of around 60 to 70 students on Thursday staged a protest in front of the vice-chancellor’s residence at Central University of Karnataka at Kadaganchi village in Aland taluk, accusing the varsity authorities of resorting to moral policing against them on the pretext of maintaining discipline on the campus.

The vice-chancellor had suspended a female student for allegedly misbehaving, causing resentment among the students. They contended that the security staff in the university are torturing the male students for being with or talking to female students.

 The university staff like electricians are invading the hostel rooms of the female students. But, the authorities have suspended the female student for raising objection to it, the protesters alleged. CUK vice-chancellor Battu Satyanarayana, however has justified the decision to suspend the student and claimed that he had to initiate action to maintain discipline. He also denied the charges made by the students. 

The Vice-Chancellor dismissed the allegations made by the students as baseless and asserted that the security measures were put in place for the larger interest of the female students.

“Security measures and disciplinary rules are enforced for the safety of female students. Female Home Guards are posted at hostels and work during the day. Female guards were posted during the night. An electrician or male person cannot enter the women’s hostel on his own. If there is work, he will go with the caretaker during the daytime, when students are attending classes. Since I have tightened security measures, they are making the allegations,” Mr. Satyanarayana said.

Registrar Basavaraj Donur said that he had received a fresh memorandum from the students with a list of demands and the students withdrew the agitation after they were assured the demands could be addressed at the university level.