NEW DELHI: Late on Monday night time, Delhi University scholars and Pinjra Tod campaigners Shambhavi Vikram Singh and Subhashini Shriya received calls from an unknown cellular number. After digging for information about the place the two stay, what their find out about and their marketing campaign, the caller threatened to "beat [them] up" for pasting their posters over some others on the Wall of Democracy in North Campus. By 11.30 pm, this incident was made public and Pinjra Tod campaigners despatched out a call asking supporters to collect on the Maurice Nagar Police Station at 10.30 am to document an FIR. The posters, predictably, had been ripped.
The caller, say each Shambhavi and Subhashini, claimed to be a student of Satyawati College and a member of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad. As this report was filed smartly after nighttime, it was impossible to confirm if he is certainly from Satyawati. ABVP's Saket Bahuguna, then again, states categorically that whoever had referred to as "had been given no authority from the organization." "We have no problem with any such campaign or even with campaigners putting up posters. ABVP has absolutely nothing to do with this and the students who were threatened should file a complaint with the police immediately," says Bahuguna. The women folk's telephone numbers had been on the posters.
The caller allegedly advised Shambhavi, a masters student at Arts Faculty , "Agar aaj ke baad hamare posters ke upar apna poster lagaya toh main toh maarunga hi maarunga. Aur aisi jagah pe marunga ki samajh aayega. Aapki abhi toh main respect kar raha hoon kyunki aap aurat hain. Madam humein abhi NSUI wala mil gaya tha to use to humne peet diya...humlog aaplog ko bhi dhoondh rahe the.."(If you paste posters on our posters once more, I will indisputably beat you up. And iI'll hit you on this sort of section that you can understand. I am showing you respect now as a result of you're a girl. Madam, we simply spotted a NSUI member and beat him up. We had been on the lookout for you too)."
There are currently about 50 lively individuals of this women-driven marketing campaign (Pinjra Tod is actually, "break the cage") that addresses the issue of gender inequality in student residences — hostels within institutions as well as private paying guest accommodations. They talk about "discriminatory rules", "moral policing," the problems of renting and the new UGC guidelines on safety of students. It is being organized across campuses — the issue having come up again due to the discriminatory regulations for women's hostels at Jamia Millia Islamia — and a few rounds of "postering" has already happened in other campuses including Ambedkar University, Delhi. "Today was the first day of postering in DU and it was on the Wall of Democracy. It is leading to the jansunvai (public meeting) scheduled for October 10," says Avipsha Das, another student. Apparently the threats had less to do with the nature of the campaign itself and more to do with the members pasting posters over others — Das says this is "same old observe" —- on the Wall of Democracy along Chhatra Marg.
Both Shambhavi and Subhashini advised TOI that the caller began via "pretending to have an interest in the marketing campaign." He allegedly asked Subhashini who she is, what she studies, where she was at the time and if they could meet. The students went public with the issue at night itself and asked everyone to gather for the FIR-filing. "It is necessary for the police to take into account that these are the blokes who make the streets unsafe. They should be locked up," says Subhashini, a law student. The Pinjra Tod women have new posters now saying "You cannot lock the walls."
The caller, say each Shambhavi and Subhashini, claimed to be a student of Satyawati College and a member of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad. As this report was filed smartly after nighttime, it was impossible to confirm if he is certainly from Satyawati. ABVP's Saket Bahuguna, then again, states categorically that whoever had referred to as "had been given no authority from the organization." "We have no problem with any such campaign or even with campaigners putting up posters. ABVP has absolutely nothing to do with this and the students who were threatened should file a complaint with the police immediately," says Bahuguna. The women folk's telephone numbers had been on the posters.
The caller allegedly advised Shambhavi, a masters student at Arts Faculty , "Agar aaj ke baad hamare posters ke upar apna poster lagaya toh main toh maarunga hi maarunga. Aur aisi jagah pe marunga ki samajh aayega. Aapki abhi toh main respect kar raha hoon kyunki aap aurat hain. Madam humein abhi NSUI wala mil gaya tha to use to humne peet diya...humlog aaplog ko bhi dhoondh rahe the.."(If you paste posters on our posters once more, I will indisputably beat you up. And iI'll hit you on this sort of section that you can understand. I am showing you respect now as a result of you're a girl. Madam, we simply spotted a NSUI member and beat him up. We had been on the lookout for you too)."
There are currently about 50 lively individuals of this women-driven marketing campaign (Pinjra Tod is actually, "break the cage") that addresses the issue of gender inequality in student residences — hostels within institutions as well as private paying guest accommodations. They talk about "discriminatory rules", "moral policing," the problems of renting and the new UGC guidelines on safety of students. It is being organized across campuses — the issue having come up again due to the discriminatory regulations for women's hostels at Jamia Millia Islamia — and a few rounds of "postering" has already happened in other campuses including Ambedkar University, Delhi. "Today was the first day of postering in DU and it was on the Wall of Democracy. It is leading to the jansunvai (public meeting) scheduled for October 10," says Avipsha Das, another student. Apparently the threats had less to do with the nature of the campaign itself and more to do with the members pasting posters over others — Das says this is "same old observe" —- on the Wall of Democracy along Chhatra Marg.
Both Shambhavi and Subhashini advised TOI that the caller began via "pretending to have an interest in the marketing campaign." He allegedly asked Subhashini who she is, what she studies, where she was at the time and if they could meet. The students went public with the issue at night itself and asked everyone to gather for the FIR-filing. "It is necessary for the police to take into account that these are the blokes who make the streets unsafe. They should be locked up," says Subhashini, a law student. The Pinjra Tod women have new posters now saying "You cannot lock the walls."
Pinjra Tod campaigners threatened to be "beaten up" for pasting posters
![Pinjra Tod campaigners threatened to be "beaten up" for pasting posters]()
Reviewed by Kailash
on
October 24, 2017
Rating:
