VC says UG female students will distract males; livid Centre seeks explanation
The Union Ministry of Human Resource Development has sought an explanation from Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) Vice Chancellor over news reports that women students are barred from entering the campus’ Maulana Azad library.
The Ministry swung into action after AMU VC lt-Gen Zameeruddin Shah, while addressing students at a function on Monday, reportedly said that if the girls were allowed in the library boys would crowd the place.
Rejecting the demands to end restrictions on women students using the main library in the campus, the VC said: “If we allow girls into the library, there will be four times more boys. The issue is not that of discipline, but of space. Our library is packed. There is no place for even boys to sit.”
The statement led to a strong reaction from HRD Minister Smriti Irani, who sought a report on alleged discrimination and sexist remarks by the VC. Irani said: “The AMU VC’s remark not only hurts as a woman but also agitates. This amounts to disrespect to women and human rights violation.”
Minority Affairs Minister Najma Heptulla too expressed anguish over the VC’s remarks saying women should be encouraged to study and not discouraged. “Make space if there is no space,” Heptulla said.
Women’s groups and girl students of AMU too have protested against the VC’s remark.Following the uproar the VC contended that his remarks were blown out of proportion. The AMU administration issued a statement denying allegations of having a sexist or discriminatory approach and cited space constraint as the reason for not allowing girls.
“There is absolutely no issue of gender bias in allowing or not allowing membership to Maulana Azad library. Girl students of the university, which includes research scholars, postgraduate and undergraduate students (including students in undergraduate professional courses) are members of the Maulana Azad library and they avail its facilities in a routine manner,” AMU’s public relations officer Rahat Abrar said in a statement.
The AMU argued that Women’s College has its own system, including a library and book bank. “The university has not imposed or introduced any new rule regarding membership to Maulana
Azad library as the media reports seem to mischievously suggest. Moreover, the university is in the process of digitizing all its libraries to resolve the problem of physical space at the Maulana Azad library,” the statement added.
Zameeruddin Shah said that undergraduate girl students studying at the off-campus Women’s College do not have access to facilities of the Maulana Azad library since it was established in 1960 and there was “no fresh ban.” He said that a demand was raised on Monday to allow undergraduate girls to access the library which was already burdened.
“I gave an assurance that at present we are not able to cater even to the burgeoning demands of boys and postgraduate girls for availing reading room facilities at the Maulana Azad library, hence, the issue of permitting undergraduate girls would have to wait until we have created necessary extra space. Once the infrastructural issues have been resolved and arrangements for safe transport for girls have been made, then we would certainly have no objection in permitting these girls physical access to the central library if they so wish,” he said.
Shah said arrangements are already there in place to deliver within 24 hours any book which is available at the main library and is not there at the Women’s College library. “In other words, they already enjoy all access to the Maulana Azad library without being encumbered by the burden of physically visiting the library at odd hours,” he said.