SC/ST students `caste' aside in college hostel

SC/ST students `caste' aside in college hostel
Express News Service

Kochi, Feb 19:

Forty SC/ST girl students were allegedly denied accommodation in the mainhostel of a city women's college and were put up in exclusive dormitoriesattached to the main hostel.

The `harassment' meted out to the students at Ernakulam St Teresa'sCollege hostel came to light following an inquiry conducted by the Directorof Collegiate Education (DCE). On a complaint channelled to him from theChief Minister's office, the DCE had authorised the Scheduled TribesDevelopment (STD) Director to conduct an investigation.

The Muvattupuzha tribal Development Officer who conducted the investigationon behalf of the STD Directorate said in his report that ``none of the 40SC/ST students of the college were provided accommodation in the main hostelof the college, resulting in their segregation.'' The management admittedthat it accommodated these students in dormitories as they feared that ``theGovernment would not bear the high rent of the rooms in the main hostel.''

However, during the course of the inquiry, the management had agreed tochange its policies regarding the SC/ST accommodation, the report said. Theinquiry panel further said the ``students also complained of the`discriminatory, demeaning and crude behaviour' of the office staff whiledisbursing educational allowances. The college principal, whiledenying these complaints, however, admitted that one of its staff memberswas issued a warning in this regard.''

``The principal also offered to shift her to another section and thisconfirms that the complaints of the students were genuine,'' the reportsaid. The STD Directorate, while strongly condemning the discriminatorytreatment meted out to the students by providing two-type of accommodation,recommended strong action against the college management in view of theseriousness of the case. ``The hostel authorities have to take theinitiative to help these students coming from a very poor background to movewith the mainstream. Through proper encouragement alone can their personalitybe developed thereby giving them social security.'' The report has alsorecommended steps to ensure humane treatment and steps to end theill-treatment to these students.

Meanwhile, the DCE accompanied by two women members of the directorateconducted surprise checks in the college hostel on Friday and is understoodto have gathered evidence proving the allegations. The surprise check comesin the wake of the findings by the STD Director. On verification, it wasreportedly found that no SC/ST students were accommodated in the 16-oddrooms on the ground floor where the second and third DC students werehoused. Similarly, no SC/ST students were accommodated in the cubicles onthe first floor and the second dormitory where the first-year degreestudents stay. Strangely, all the 16 students studying in first DC andsecond PDC classes were accommodated in the third dormitory, reportedlyallotted to SC/ST communities.

When contacted, the college authorities denied the allegations andmaintained that the accommodation was made class-wise and not caste-wise.The allegations that some dormitories were exclusively kept apart for theSC/ST students were baseless as accommodation was made according to thepattern of the buildings, they maintained.