JJ short skirt row: Students say authorities threatening them

The students had protested on the hospital premises on Sunday

A day after women students of the state-run JJ Hospital's Grant Medical College protested against the hospital diktat asking them not to wear 'short skirts', on Monday, many of the students alleged that they were being threatened by the authorities. They said hospital officials knocked on the doors of women students demanding to know why the issue was 'blown out of proportion'. Students have stated that if the authority continues with the insensitive behaviour, they would restart their protest, irrespective of the consequences.

On March 23, at the annual function, Astitva, of Grant Medical College, the women students were instructed not to wear short skirts and to return to the hostel by 10pm. The male students, however, had no restrictions. Following this, many women students held a protest on the hospital premises with their faces covered.

"On Monday, officials knocked on our doors at the hostel and asked each of us if we had participated in the protest. Thankfully, we had kept our faces covered at the protest so they did not recognise us. This is the dadagiri happening at the institute," said a woman student who participated in the protest. "They even threatened to expel us if we participated in any more protests," she said.

The women students were given four instructions -- one that girls won't be allowed to wear shorts/short dresses and another that the programme would end at 9.30pm so that the women could return to the hostel by 10pm. Another circular stated that male and female students shouldn't sit or dance together.

"We are doctors so will the institute now instruct us to treat only women patients? How can such an elite medical institute give such demeaning instructions to students?" asked a woman student of second year UG MBBS. In fact, the students also alleged that the women students who were found wearing shorts were either sent to the hostel to change or were kept separate from the group.

Hospital Dean Dr. Ajay Chandanwale said following an incident on Holi, the institute had issued rules to avoid any harassment. "There was a report of some disturbance on the college campus on Holi. That's why we issued the rules so that such incidents could be controlled. It was meant in a good way, not to harass students based on gender," said Dr. Chandanwale.

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