“We are forced to clean toilets with our bare hands,” said students at the Backward Classes and Minority Hostel in Bengaluru’s Rajarajeshwari Nagar. Speaking on the condition of anonymity due to fear of retribution, the students described cleaning toilets with their bare hands and sleeping on iron beds without any bedding or mattress. Adding to the inhumane conditions these girls face at the hostel, they do not get permission to go home during holidays. “Even when we are lucky enough to be granted permission to visit our families, the warden puts pressure on us to bring back expensive gifts, like mixers, for their personal use,” one student said.
Another student reported that the warden arbitrarily cuts the power supply and is abusive when confronted about it. "We have to carefully plan when we charge our phones and laptops because the warden only allows us to use the power at specific times," the student said. "When we try to question this, we are met with verbal abuse. This is just one example of the difficult and oppressive living conditions we face at the hostel,” she added.
The students said that they tried to bring these issues to the attention of officials at the taluk and district levels but were met with threats instead of action. "We submitted a letter detailing our experiences and requesting action against the warden but nothing was done. Instead, the officials collected the names of the girls who spoke out and threatened to cancel their admissions,” one student said.
Jayanagar MLA Sowmya Reddy highlighted the poor conditions and mistreatment at the hostel on Twitter. Speaking to TNM she said, “When the girls first reached out to me, they were begging us to do something about this mistreatment. It was shocking to learn about the poor condition of the hostel. The students are distressed. I tried contacting the higher authorities, but nobody responded. I have now approached the Minister to take action," she said. She has written a letter to Minister of Social Welfare and Backward Classes Welfare Kota Srinivas Poojary, urging immediate action.
My letter to the Hon Minister of Social Welfare and Backward Classes Welfare Department, Shri Kota Srinivas Poojary, urging immediate action for the relief of the harassed students. https://t.co/QnVXg1BNtb pic.twitter.com/H89jFlJCUu
— Sowmya | ಸೌಮ್ಯ (@Sowmyareddyr) January 2, 2023