Another Feather In Our Cap
As part of the hostel WiFi installation process, 10 or so men were hired to install routers in the rooms of Opal, despite the discomfort and concerns expressed by the residents. For the first few days, the unsupervised men ogled, smirked and stared at the girls, even entering unattended rooms and spreading general unease. These breaches of privacy were dismissed by the steward.
On the 29th of August, at around 10:00 AM, one of these men entered a girl’s room under the pretense of router work. He proceeded to expose himself to the girl, and forced her to watch as he masturbated in front of her. She ran out of her room to meet the steward who had just come, and got brushed off for “bothering” her as soon as she’d arrived. The wardens proceeded to blame the girl for what transpired, commenting on the skirt she was wearing and reprimanding her for staying in the room while a man was working. The authorities refused to support the girl, who was forced to file an FIR on her own. At the police station, the hostel authorities continued to blame the girl and insult her, deeming her responsible for any consequent delays in the WiFi installation. According to the victim’s account afterwards, it was only the Dean of Student Welfare who refused to misplace the blame, labeling the perpetrator a dog and reprimanding the others for addressing him as “sir”.
In the next 12 hours, news of the incident started spreading across the college, agitating the student body. Seniors in Opal requested all the girls to assemble at a common area, and demanded to meet the warden. Unsatisfied with the nonchalance of the RSCs, they gathered at the main Opal gate, engaging in a peaceful and silent protest till their questions were answered. By this time, the boys had gotten to know of the demonstrations, and joined the girls outside the Opal main gate in a show of solidarity.
The fourth year representatives submitted a list of demands to the authorities, while barricades were set up outside the gate to keep the crowd at bay. Police jeeps started arriving as tensions rose and the students grew more and more restless. Due to missteps that occurred when the authorities tried to control the crowd, the boys broke past the barricade at 1:10 AM and reached the main Opal gate, on the other side of which the girls had gathered. The chants seamlessly merged in a symphony of unanimity, as they demanded justice together.
Disconcerted by the director’s failure to show up, one half of the crowd left for her bungalow to continue the protest, while the others stayed back at the main Opal gate. The students raised concrete demands such as calls for the resignation of the warden, with the police assuring that most of them would be met. The protesters reached the director’s bungalow, where the security had already set up barricades, and began a chant, refusing to leave till she came out.
At 3:00 AM, the Dean of Student Welfare arrived at Opal, addressing the crowd inside. He assured the students that they had the institute’s full support. He urged the students to form a representative committee to draft a set of demands, promising to set up a body to enquire into the incident and requesting the warden to step down from hostel-related activities. This calmed the crowd a little bit, although calls for the director and the warden didn’t subside. The authorities then gathered outside the gate as the students continued to chant for the director to appear, and the warden refused to apologize or address the crowd.
At 4:55 AM, the director arrived at Opal, and entered with the warden, ready to answer the girls’ questions. The students put their grievances forward, and were dissatisfied with the seemingly offhand and insincere replies of the director, who also apologized on behalf of the warden. Following the sunrise, the girls started protesting to be let out of Opal, but the gates were not opened. By this time, many of the seniors collapsed in Opal due to exhaustion, with their friends staying back to take care of them. Losing confidence in the college administration, the rest of the girls broke out of Opal at around 6:00 AM, marching towards the admin block to continue the protest at the main gate, where they were joined by the first years.
As the student council and college authorities controlled the crowd, journalists and more police, including the Superintendent, arrived at the main gate. The ex-warden apologized to the students, while continuing to defend herself and insisting that her intentions and actions were misunderstood. Meanwhile, reporters from several prominent news platforms took statements from the first years about everything that had transpired. The SP patiently listened to the students’ concerns about the incident and the administration’s unsatisfactory response to it, as well as the general systemic issues in the college regarding safety and equality. The police collected a comprehensive list of demands from the senior representatives of the students, and promised them that the necessary reforms would be implemented. After a conversation with the director, the SP asked the crowd to disperse, ending the protest.
As the tensions kept rising, it became evident that the students were not just upset about the current situation, but about all the underlying issues that have not been tended to for years. The students weren’t just looking for justice for this one case; they were pushing back against the bigger problems within the system that allowed something like this to happen in the first place. This shift in focus united everyone, turning the protest into a larger movement to demand better safety and respect for all students on campus.
On Friday, 30th of August, a meeting was held with the Administration, the Student Council, the members of the student committee and RECAL.
A list of demands was discussed and subsequently put forward. These demands and findings were complied and were presented to RECAL via the Student Council. The Director also agreed to address the entire campus regarding this situation on the following Monday (2nd September) in Barn Hall.
The list of demands:
1) Wardens and stewards removed and proper apology from them plus hostel convener.
2) Security officer apology + CCTV installation and ID issuing.
3) Terminate current contract with wifi vendor.
4) Get all of this in writing and signed by the director.
5) Each block should be able to choose their own warden.
6) Relaxation of curfew and rollcall, and implementation of stringent measures for security.
7) Removal of signout form for girls.
8) Official apology from the institute for blaming the victim and trying to cover it up.
9) Room to room plan for wifi to not be affected.
10) Transparency regarding the members of the enquiry committee.
11) No action to be taken against the protesting students.
At 7PM, the Director herself came to Opal to further discuss the situation with the female students. A discussion regarding the demands was held. Their responses were as follows:
Curfew will NOT be removed.
There will be an official investigation taking place.
After this investigation, the guilty wardens and stewards will be fired and apologies will be issued.
The Director has agreed to address the entire college on Monday at 5:30PM, Barn Hall.
Wifi work will resume from Monday, and each worker will be accompanied by a female security guard and will have and ID card issued. Schedule will be informed prior.
CSG will check for all the hidden cameras or devices that may have been installed on Saturday.
Technicians are sourced from ITI, and an inquiry regarding the availability of female technicians will be made.
FIR from NITT’s side has been initiated and CCTV’s will be installed with the permission of the students. The CCTV’s were not installed prior to this incident as there were privacy issues. Strangers from other campuses will not be allowed inside and the director’s personal contact was shared.
At 8PM, the student committee was reconvened to talk directly to RECAL. An open discussion took place, covering the details of the incident, the protest, and the students’ collective demands.
RECAL expressed strong support for the students’ concerns and laid out the foundations for a potential action plan moving forward.
Following this meeting, RECAL met with the Director, firmly urging her to develop a comprehensive response to the demands by Monday evening. The Director assured RECAL that she would address the issues by Monday evening. RECAL, in turn, reaffirmed their support for the students and assured them that they could reach out for further assistance if necessary.
On Saturday, 6:45PM, the members of the Student Council met with the Dean and Associate Dean of Student Welfare to discuss the incident and the subsequent actions that would be taken.
The formation of the Incident Enquiry Committee and the Grievance Committee took place.
It was decided that the issue is to be escalated to the highest authorities as promised by the DSP which will be constantly backed up by the Administration of NIT Trichy.
Further discussions took place regarding the suspension of Opal Stewards, the SOP responses, the accountability of the Security Office and the HAC members, installation of CCTVs and checking of spy cameras in the girls hostel.
On Sunday at 10:30 AM, the student committee reconvened for an inquiry meeting. The session began with a discussion with the Student Council to determine the key points to present to the inquiry committee. Initially, the President and Vice President of the Student Council met with the inquiry committee, followed by the victim’s close friends. Finally, at 2:30 PM, the student committee itself engaged directly with the inquiry committee.
The committee welcomed the students warmly and encouraged them to voice their concerns. The students reiterated the issues raised during the protest, their specific demands, and highlighted the inadequacies they were facing.
The updated list of demands is given below:
1) Suspension of warden and steward of Opal A.
2) A strict SOP.
3) CCTV’s and female security outside of each dept.
4) Official committee for Opal to be set up.
5) Victim to be granted financial and psychological aid from the institute.
6) Revise discriminatory policies.
7) An official public apology from the institute if requested by the victim.
8) Establishment of a dedicated ombudsman and a helpline to a central authority.
9) Inclusion of students in ICC.
10) Removal of the Prevention list.
11) A bimonthly meeting with admin directly.
12) Sensitivity training and gender neutral rules.
13) Revision of hostel rulebook and student representation in the HAC.
It became evident during the discussion that the inquiry committee was unaware of many of the challenges the students were dealing with. In response, the committee advised the students to approach the Dean’s office directly for any complaints that had gone unaddressed. Critical issues such as gender equality, security, and lack of facilities were discussed openly, with the inquiry committee demonstrating a receptive and understanding attitude throughout the meeting.
Today, at 6:20PM, 50 minutes later than the stipulated time, the Director addressed the entire campus at the A2 hall.
Only 50~ students were let in the hall and the rest were asked to join via the @pinjrathod’s livestream.
The Director responded to the situation with a series of immediate actions and commitments aimed at addressing the students’ concerns. She promised to release a foolproof SOP to prevent future incidents, with immediate dismissal as the consequence if such an incident occurs again.
The CSG technician will check for spy cameras in the hostel within two days, and the Prevention list will be removed.
Sensitization programs for security and stewards will begin this month, with three sessions planned. Wifi installation, initially scheduled to be completed by September 4, might extend by 10 more days. The FRS will be implemented, and CCTV cameras will be installed in front of each block within two weeks. Female guards will be stationed around campus based on need, and street lights will be installed near Opal within a week. Additionally, all outsourced workers entering Opal will be frisked immediately, and the sign-out process will be simplified.The interim committee will replace the previous HAC, with student representatives included in the newly reconstituted committee. The wardens and the associate dean involved in prior decisions will no longer be part of this committee. The administration met with the victim and her family, ensuring that victim-blaming will no longer be tolerated. Legal assistance will be provided to ensure the perpetrator receives the maximum punishment possible. They emphasized transparency in all committee activities, with student representatives involved in decision-making. The Director reassured the students that new policies will be developed to address complaints, aiming for no lacunas in the system, and encouraged students to focus on their studies and make their college years memorable.
