A student of Banaras Hindu University (BHU) writes an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, after a number of students, including women, and two journalists were injured in the lathicharge by the police on protesters at Banaras Hindu University (BHU). A group of students had staged a sit-in at the main gate of the university after a female student of the Arts Faculty was molested by three motorcycle-borne men on the campus. It must be noted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on his visit to the Varanasi when the protest was conducted.
Modi Ji, this isn’t what we wanted!
We chose the day when you came to Varanasi, so that you would come to know what we girls feel even after being in India’s third largest university. Banaras Hindu University is a reputed institution and we never intended to spoil the name of our second home. We had simple demands that were obviously very basic for any residential university to fulfil.
• safety at campus for girls
• gender equality
• speak to our VC, and
• support from the administration
But, what did we receive?
Lathi-charge on girls, launch of tear gas, explosion of petrol bombs, the burning of BHU campus, and implementation of Section 144.
To be honest, Modi Ji, we did not want any of these.
They diverted your route and stopped us forcefully. They knew we were right, and so were our demands.
We just wanted to speak to our VC, but he isn’t ready to come out of his room. The girls in his university’s hostels were sitting on the burning road for the last two days, pleading to meet him once in person, but it seems he has no time to listen to his students.
Isn’t his sense of responsibility towards us striking him? Not even once!
I can’t even think that you didn’t have any idea about it Modi Ji. You were in your constituency and it isn’t possible that this issue didn’t come across you. There was no political concern related to our demands.
The demands were simple and straightforward. If VC had met and assured us that the girls in his university would be safe, counter-actions weren’t required.
We have come to Banaras Hindu University to study. And this isn’t what we wanted Modi Ji.
Thank You,
A Girl from BHU