Jaipur: A group of girl students at Malaviya National Institute of Technology (MNIT) Jaipur held a protest Tuesday night, demanding an extension of hostel curfew timings beyond 10 pm. The protest was driven by the need for equal access to facilities on campus, including a newly opened all-night food centre and Central Computer Centre.The students voiced their concerns over the “unequal regulations” governing nighttime access for boys and girls, questioning the fairness of the current policy that restricts female students’ access to campus facilities after 10 pm.Speaking about the issue, one student, who requested anonymity, said, “We pay the same fee like male students, then why do different rules exist for us for facilities inside the campus? We are not asking to change timings for entering the campus, but this is the hostel curfew.”The students had previously raised this issue through a formal correspondence sent to MNIT director on Aug 12. In their letter, they wrote, “We request reconsideration as male students have unrestricted night movement, while female students face additional limits.”Demonstrating the importance of the issue, the students emphasised, “These differences create an unequal environment. Rules should be gender-neutral with uniform safety measures.”Their demands included the removal of the 10 pm in-time restriction for girl students, equal access to campus facilities, and discussions on safety and access measures with student representatives.In the aftermath of the protest, a nine-member student committee met with college authorities to discuss the concerns raised. The college administration promised to consider their demands and has requested four weeks to respond effectively.MNIT Director Prof NP Padhy told TOI, “We will discuss the students’ demands and see what changes can be made. The same rules can be kept within the campus. We will decide on this by Oct and inform the students.”
