Patan-II is in the making
Anyone can enter the govt girls’ hostel at Sola Bhagwat without being questioned or frisked. There’s no full-time guard or a warden
By Dhwani Pathak and Yogesh Avasthi
Posted On Friday, November 27, 2009 (Ahmedabad Mirror http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article§name=News%20-%20Latest§id=2&contentid=20091127200911270338122181b7fc5a8)
A visit to this girls’ hostel at Sola Bhagwat on S G Highway brings back dark memories of the ghastly Patan gangrape that hit the headlines more than a year ago. Not because something similar has happened here. But because something as horrific could easily take place.
The Government Girls Hostel for Backward Classes is located in the premises of government quarters, barely 100 metres away from the highway. The area is pitch dark during the night. There are no streetlights on the 1-km stretch of road leading to the hostel.
Forty nine girls stay in six rooms without any basic facilities — there are no cots, no lockers, no study tables.
Though the hostel has been provided with a security guard, when these reporters went there around 8.30 pm, he was nowhere to be seen. Every girls’ hostel is provided with a guard 24X7. But here, the guard comes in around 10.30 pm and leaves at 6 am, say the girls. What more, even the superintendent, Sadhanaben, was not present.
Before 10.30 pm, anyone can enter this hostel and walk out without being questioned or frisked. Our reporters did just that on Tuesday night. Accompanied by lensman Kalpesh Bhatt, Yogesh and Dhwani walked up to the terrace of the building, took a leisurely stroll for nearly 10 minutes and came back downstairs. No one even raised an eyebrow. Not even the girls staying here, as though it was commonplace. The reporters later spotted a boy entering the hostel.
The gangrape of a student of Patan’s PTC college by six teachers for over six months triggered protests all over the state. Chief Minister Narendra Modi condemned the incident as the most “shameful act” and promised all necessary steps for protection of girl students. In yet another incident in August 2008, girls of Pilavai PTC college fled the campus after complaining about sexual harassment by their trustee. But no corrective action has yet come from the government. Safety and security of girls residing in government hostels have conveniently been put on the backburner.
Speaking to Mirror on conditions of anonymity, one of the hostelers said: “The superintendent comes here once in 15 days. She takes the roll call around 6.15 pm and leaves. She hasn’t even given us her cellphone number to contact her in case of an emergency.”
Numerous thefts have taken place here. Girls have lost Rs 5,000 hard cash, books worth Rs 1,000 and even cellphones. “We are not allowed to lock our rooms. Once, a girl locked her room and she was asked not to repeat it,” the girl said.
There have been instances of eve teasing too on the road leading to the hostel. “When the girl complained about it to the superintendent, she said ‘So what? No one has raped you.’ Even when we complain about boys throwing stones wrapped in love letters, she shrugs it off.”
The hostel building has an office, a mess and two rooms on the ground floor. There are four rooms on the first floor. No one stays on the second floor which is completely dark. All the rooms here, filled with trash and unused materials, have been left open.
Harassment complaint against officials
While issues related to security are to be dealt with by the social justice department, ironically, the conduct of two officials of the same department has come under scanner after a hosteler levelled harassment charges against them.
In a memorandum submitted to minister Fakirbhai Vaghela on Monday, the girl has alleged that while she was away in Delhi for some work, Nadiad officer D R Purohit acted upon the instructions of controlling officer N V Jani and threatened her parents.
In the memo dated November 23, she has even stated that Purohit forcefully entered their house in Nadiad and took thumb imprints of her illiterate parents on a document. He then asked her not to enter the hostel ever again, she alleges. A copy of the memorandum has also been marked to Chief Minister Narendra Modi. The girl had even made a representation in August stating that security was a big issue apart from lack of basic facilities in the hostel.
‘No security issue till now’
On Thursday, the reporters called up at the social justice department office in Meghaninagar and spoke to Sadhnaben. When confronted about the security issue she said: “Talk to the controlling officer N V Jani.”
Hostel inmates fear their belongings will be stolen as they are not allowed to lock rooms Occupants keep their belongings in open racks as there are no proper cupboards
Jani said that a guard is present at the hostel from 7 pm to 7 am. When the reporters said he wasn’t there when they went around 8.30 pm on Tuesday, this is what Jani had to say: “The guard is from a government security agency. He must have been somewhere nearby. You should have enquired.”
He also said that there was no such rule that government hostels should have 24-hour security. He later corrected himself saying: “I am talking about government hostels in general, not government girls’ hostels...but so far, everything has been taken care of as per the rules.”
And what about the superintendent? Isn’t she supposed to be at the hostel all the time? “Sadhanaben is always present at the hostel,” Jani said, not knowing the reporters had spoken to her already.
When they told him she was at the department’s office and not at the hostel, Jani said: “She can work from here also.” If the superintendent has to reach the girls’ hostel at Sola Bhagwat from Meghaninagar, she would require at least an hour. Which means, she would find it difficult to handle any emergency at the hostel. But that was not a concern for him. “Till now there has been no security issue,” Jani said.
Asked why were the girls not allowed to lock the rooms to protect their belongings, he said: “I don’t know about such small things. Talk to Sadhanaben.”
When the reporters called up Sadhnaben’s office landline number again, another official received the call and said she had left for the day.
By Dhwani Pathak and Yogesh Avasthi
Posted On Friday, November 27, 2009 (Ahmedabad Mirror http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article§name=News%20-%20Latest§id=2&contentid=20091127200911270338122181b7fc5a8)
A visit to this girls’ hostel at Sola Bhagwat on S G Highway brings back dark memories of the ghastly Patan gangrape that hit the headlines more than a year ago. Not because something similar has happened here. But because something as horrific could easily take place.
The Government Girls Hostel for Backward Classes is located in the premises of government quarters, barely 100 metres away from the highway. The area is pitch dark during the night. There are no streetlights on the 1-km stretch of road leading to the hostel.
Forty nine girls stay in six rooms without any basic facilities — there are no cots, no lockers, no study tables.
Though the hostel has been provided with a security guard, when these reporters went there around 8.30 pm, he was nowhere to be seen. Every girls’ hostel is provided with a guard 24X7. But here, the guard comes in around 10.30 pm and leaves at 6 am, say the girls. What more, even the superintendent, Sadhanaben, was not present.
Before 10.30 pm, anyone can enter this hostel and walk out without being questioned or frisked. Our reporters did just that on Tuesday night. Accompanied by lensman Kalpesh Bhatt, Yogesh and Dhwani walked up to the terrace of the building, took a leisurely stroll for nearly 10 minutes and came back downstairs. No one even raised an eyebrow. Not even the girls staying here, as though it was commonplace. The reporters later spotted a boy entering the hostel.
The gangrape of a student of Patan’s PTC college by six teachers for over six months triggered protests all over the state. Chief Minister Narendra Modi condemned the incident as the most “shameful act” and promised all necessary steps for protection of girl students. In yet another incident in August 2008, girls of Pilavai PTC college fled the campus after complaining about sexual harassment by their trustee. But no corrective action has yet come from the government. Safety and security of girls residing in government hostels have conveniently been put on the backburner.
Speaking to Mirror on conditions of anonymity, one of the hostelers said: “The superintendent comes here once in 15 days. She takes the roll call around 6.15 pm and leaves. She hasn’t even given us her cellphone number to contact her in case of an emergency.”
Numerous thefts have taken place here. Girls have lost Rs 5,000 hard cash, books worth Rs 1,000 and even cellphones. “We are not allowed to lock our rooms. Once, a girl locked her room and she was asked not to repeat it,” the girl said.
There have been instances of eve teasing too on the road leading to the hostel. “When the girl complained about it to the superintendent, she said ‘So what? No one has raped you.’ Even when we complain about boys throwing stones wrapped in love letters, she shrugs it off.”
The hostel building has an office, a mess and two rooms on the ground floor. There are four rooms on the first floor. No one stays on the second floor which is completely dark. All the rooms here, filled with trash and unused materials, have been left open.
Harassment complaint against officials
While issues related to security are to be dealt with by the social justice department, ironically, the conduct of two officials of the same department has come under scanner after a hosteler levelled harassment charges against them.
In a memorandum submitted to minister Fakirbhai Vaghela on Monday, the girl has alleged that while she was away in Delhi for some work, Nadiad officer D R Purohit acted upon the instructions of controlling officer N V Jani and threatened her parents.
In the memo dated November 23, she has even stated that Purohit forcefully entered their house in Nadiad and took thumb imprints of her illiterate parents on a document. He then asked her not to enter the hostel ever again, she alleges. A copy of the memorandum has also been marked to Chief Minister Narendra Modi. The girl had even made a representation in August stating that security was a big issue apart from lack of basic facilities in the hostel.
‘No security issue till now’
On Thursday, the reporters called up at the social justice department office in Meghaninagar and spoke to Sadhnaben. When confronted about the security issue she said: “Talk to the controlling officer N V Jani.”
Hostel inmates fear their belongings will be stolen as they are not allowed to lock rooms Occupants keep their belongings in open racks as there are no proper cupboards
Jani said that a guard is present at the hostel from 7 pm to 7 am. When the reporters said he wasn’t there when they went around 8.30 pm on Tuesday, this is what Jani had to say: “The guard is from a government security agency. He must have been somewhere nearby. You should have enquired.”
He also said that there was no such rule that government hostels should have 24-hour security. He later corrected himself saying: “I am talking about government hostels in general, not government girls’ hostels...but so far, everything has been taken care of as per the rules.”
And what about the superintendent? Isn’t she supposed to be at the hostel all the time? “Sadhanaben is always present at the hostel,” Jani said, not knowing the reporters had spoken to her already.
When they told him she was at the department’s office and not at the hostel, Jani said: “She can work from here also.” If the superintendent has to reach the girls’ hostel at Sola Bhagwat from Meghaninagar, she would require at least an hour. Which means, she would find it difficult to handle any emergency at the hostel. But that was not a concern for him. “Till now there has been no security issue,” Jani said.
Asked why were the girls not allowed to lock the rooms to protect their belongings, he said: “I don’t know about such small things. Talk to Sadhanaben.”
When the reporters called up Sadhnaben’s office landline number again, another official received the call and said she had left for the day.
