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India: Posters from Protest Against the Right Wing ABVP by Pinjra Tod the Delhi University Student Feminist Collective

20 October 2016

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Pinjra Tod had called for a protest called ’ABVP Khabardar’ on 20 October 2016 at Delhi University. Here are photos of posters from that protest and a news report also link to the original protest call

Link to original Call for a Demonstration by Pinjra Tod of 20 October 2016 at Delhi University

Posters from the Protest

A facebook post regarding the Protest of 20 October

[a facebook post says: Today at the Arts Faculty with their fearless sloganeering and posters, their singing and their dancing, the PINJRA TOD women called out the ABVP on its "छॠई मॠई" cowardice and declared war.

यह वो गॠनहगार औरतें हैं
जो न सर ठॠकायें
ना हाथ जोडें ]

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Press Report on the Demo

The Times of India

Pinjra Tod rails against ‘harassment’ by ABVP

TNN | Oct 21, 2016, 00:48 IST

New Delhi: The student collective Pinjra Tod protested at Delhi University’s Faculty of Arts on Thursday against the members of the political outfit ABVP, for their alleged harassment of the students on the night of September 23, when the group had organised a ’Night March’ from North Campus to Vijay Nagar.

"On the night of our vigil, many ABVP members, including former DUSU president, Satender Awana, came to the venue and started misbehaving with us. One of them showed us a Rs 100 note and called us women of loose morals. They even grabbed a girl’s wrist. This, and many other incidents in the past few weeks have prompted this protest," said Devangana Kalita, a Pinjra Tod member.

The protesters came with handmade posters which questioned the discrimination they face in colleges and hostels. The girls spoke of the threats that they have received for voicing their concerns.

"They often follow our members from their homes and corner them whenever they have the opportunity. They also intimidate and bully them by making obscene gestures," said Srishti Shrivastav. She alleged that ABVP tore the posters of Pinjra Tod and tried disrupting their programmes.

The group has lent its support to Ved Kumari, the dean of Law Faculty — who they believe is a strong feminist voice — and is under fire from her students who are protesting at the campus. "She is facing an attack from DUSU, which has unfairly targeted her for the problems in the faculty," said Kalita.

Several women students from DU, Jamia, JNU, and Ambedkar colleges joined the protest and even students from Aligarh Muslim University. They say that the students who belong to the reserved categories face discrimination in the allocation of hostel rooms.

Many male students also came to support the protest. A DU student, Khushwant Singh, said, "Hooliganism at the campus is not acceptable and equality should be the norm in colleges."

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[ see also relevant material from the past:

Photos from PinjraTod [Break Hostel Locks] - campaign against discriminatory rules for womens hostels in Delhi’s universities (20 September 2015) http://www.sacw.net/article11652.html

Being a woman in Indian universities sucks - A video from Hindustan Times https://youtu.be/EgSXl8_xer0

NDTV Report in Hindi - दिलॠली विशॠवविदॠयालय की छातॠराओं की पहल ’पिंजरा तोड़’
पॠरकाशित: अकॠटूबर 20, 2016 http://khabar.ndtv.com/video/show/news/students-of-delhi-universitys-initiative-pinjara-tod-435746

Pinjra Tod: Delhi girls fight back to reclaim public spaces for women by Aparna Alluri, Hindustan Times - Oct 09, 2016 http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/pinjra-tod-delhi-girls-fight-back-to-reclaim-public-spaces-for-women/story-BlZuGdeLSiBXNE2onG40QP.html