Bangalore government hostel students allege exploitation by manager and others

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Female students at BCM Girls Hostel (under Karnataka Backward Classes Department) in Bengalurus Rajarajeshwari Nagar alleged that the hostel manager and authorities abused, abused and exploited them by using them for personal services and cleaning the toilets.

In a letter to the Karnataka Unit of the National Union of Students of India (student wing of the Congress) last week, the students detailed their traumatic experiences of the past few years. The students alleged that the principal threatened to cancel their admission places if they did not clean the toilets or go against orders.

The students also alleged that the manager verbally abused them if they complained about maintenance issues in the hostel and refused to address the issues.

Students have also complained that they are forcefully asked to clean the toilets even if they are sick. Speaking to indianexpress.com, students said that although soap kits and other essentials are not provided to students on time, they also often find insects, hair, stones in hostel food .

Jeevitha Nagesh, a B Pharma student, said: “We have been witnessing unruly behavior from the manager for years. We are used for his personal services (custodians). She wants us to cook chapatis for her and her family. She even brings home the food from the hostel for us. Also, the beds and cribs have not been cleaned since the pandemic and if we raise our voice against these maintenance issues, the guardian and the hostel authorities ask us to leave the hostel or threaten to cancel our places.

The students also alleged that the manager verbally abused them if they complained about maintenance issues in the hostel and refused to address the issues. In addition, the students said that the hostel authorities regularly cut off the electricity supply, cut off the Wi-Fi connections and ask them to clean the hostel building every Sunday.

Another student, who spoke to indianexpress.com on condition of anonymity, said: We are mentally tortured in this hostel and find it hard to concentrate on our studies. At the end of our academic classes, we are asked to buy gifts for the hostel authorities and other officials as a gesture. The mental wellbeing of the girls in this hostel is deteriorating due to the verbal abuse we face every day from the hostel manager and authorities.

Underestimating the problem, Madhura, the taluk officer from Bengaluru South, said: “Finding insects or hair in food is common and it could have happened many times. Regarding sanitation, we will be contracting someone to clean the hostel toilets in the next few days. We had previously asked the students to clean the toilets independently because of the pandemic. We just kept applying the same thing. We have received a series of complaints from the girls and are reviewing and addressing them accordingly.

In a letter to Kota Shrinivas Poojari, Minister of Social Welfare Department and Backward Classes Welfare Department, Congress Leader and MP Sowmya Reddy urged the government to take action against the director and officer of taluk. Taking to Twitter, Reddy said: Shocked to hear of abuse, mistreatment, human rights violations of young female students at RR Nagar’s Backward Classes hostel. Girls came to see me deeply upset by disturbing incidents. Urge Min Kota Srinivas Poojary to take strict action against the guardian, Taluka’s officer.

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