College principals’ body now bans mobile phones,jeans for girls

The UPPP has also decided to ban students from carrying mobile phones to college.

About the council decision,DBS College Principal Ashok Kumar Srivastava said,“It has been viewed that eve-teasers generally target girls wearing jeans or modern clothes.”

The principal claimed that if girls wore salwar-kurta or Indian clothes,cases of sexual harassment near college campuses would decrease.

“We can take precautionary measures to prevent the harassment of girls. In a meeting on Sunday,therefore,the principals of 22 leading colleges of UP decided to take this step,” he added.

Srivastava said there were more than 400 government-aided degree colleges in UP,“where decisions taken by the UPPP are followed.”

Explaining the ban on mobile phones,Srivastava said,“More than a necessity,mobile phones have become a luxury for students,and they waste much of their time talking to friends.”

Earlier,four girls’ colleges of Kanpur — DG Degree College,Acharya Narendra Deo College,Sen Balika College and Johari Devi Degree — had prohibited students from wearing jeans,tight tops,sleeveless blouses,high heels and tight-fitting clothes on campus. The order had drawn criticism from social organisations.

Former parliamentarian and CPI (M) leader Subhashini Ali had termed the decision “dictatorial” and said that,“rather than tightening the noose around eve-teasers,college authorities are creating unwarranted pressure on girls.”

‘No college in Lucknow will follow diktat’
It is an immature decision and reads like some ‘Talibani farman’. In no case is any college in Lucknow going to follow it,” said the President of the Lucknow University Associated College Principals’ Association Dr SP Singh,reacting to the decision of the Pracharya Parishad. Singh,the Principal of the National Post Graduate College for the past 20 years,said the Parishad’s claim that it represented 400 government-aided colleges was wrong. There was no state-wide organisation of principals,he maintained.

“In fact,we have never heard of any such organisation. If there was any such body,they would at least have informed the office bearers of the Lucknow association,” Singh added.

M S Naqvi,Principal of Shia PG College and secretary of the association,said: “Today,when the top three IAS toppers are girls and girls are excelling in all fields,we cannot impose such restrictions. We have around 345 aided colleges across the state.

It is impossible to implement any restrictions without a consensus.”

Maulendu Mishra,president of the Lucknow University Associated College Teachers’ Association,said,“Instead of imposing restrictions,there is a need to develop more confidence among our girls. There is a need is to provide them knowledge about their ability to safeguard themselves and empower them.”