Chandigarh: Parties focus on women’s safety

Chandigarh: With the student council elections approaching, the issue of women’s safety has heated up on the Punjab University campus. After the Kolkata RG Kar Hospital incident, student parties have included the issue of women’s safety in their manifestos. The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) had released a special manifesto for female students. The National Students Union of India (NSUI) also took a similar step and released its manifesto, named ‘Plan’, in which L stands for women’s gym and self-defense classes. The NSUI says that if it comes to power, it will work towards setting up gyms for women, which will have self-defense classes to enhance women’s physical fitness and personal safety.

Last year, the NSUI contested the elections on the promise of bringing in a provision for menstrual leave for female students, adopting the idea from educational institutions in Kerala. This helped the party win the president’s post, the only seat it contested. ‘We got the menstrual leave provision implemented. This time too, we will do what we promise,” said Rahul Nain, the NSUI presidential candidate. In its special women-centric manifesto, the ABVP has promised to reserve at least one seat for women in the council. They have also promised to set up pink police booths near every girls’ hostel and a student club ‘Sahasi’, which will serve as a platform for voicing the challenges and concerns faced by female students.