Explainer: Students of Hidayatullah NLU say they've had it with V-C's high-handedness, faculty sexual harassment

Students of Hidayatullah National Law University (HNLU) in Chhattisgarh’s New Raipur city have been protesting since 27 August against Vice-Chancellor Sukh Pal Singh’s term being extended, alleged sexual harassment by faculty members, various other administrative matters and arbitrary rules. Even though there were scant details about allegations of sexual harassment, students have alleged that several fundamental demands by the students have been rejected under the leadership of Singh. On 27 August, the Chhattisgarh High Court had declared illegal the re-appointment of professor Singh as the vice-chancellor of HNLU. The same night, HNLU Student Body Association found out that Singh was planning to appeal against the order. Students held a silent overnight protest. The study body demanded that Singh be immediately removed from his post,  India Today  had reported. In the first few days of the protests, the students had demanded removal of hostel curfews and appointment of independent wardens instead of teachers who also serve as wardens. Students believe that this dual role predisposes the teachers with bias against the pupils, reported The Wire. The women protesting against the university have also alleged moral policing by hostel wardens. Speaking to LiveLaw, students recalled being told off for their clothes and conduct. A student was quoted as saying: “I was caught drunk and she (the hostel warden) called my parents and said that I wear ‘party clothes’ to class and hang out with the wrong sort of boys.” The parents of another student were called up and told that the college authorities had photos of their daughter going to places wearing clothes they wouldn’t approve of. However, when asked for proof, the authorities had none. In another such incident, the parents of a student, who was clinically depressed according to the LiveLaw report, urged the hostel authorities to allot her a room closer to her friends, but their request was denied. All such instances prompted the students to come together to protest the way college authorities were treating them. When the protests attracted large crowds, the Student Bar Association (SBA) of the university extended its support to the cause, and a draft listing 13 demands was made after meetings.As meetings were held among students, several issues came to the fore such as allegations of financial fraud, maladministration and sexual harassment from faculty members. The students also demanded an Inquiry Committee to investigate allegations of sexual harassment by faculty members. The first demand was the appointment of an interim vice-chancellor. The others included formation of a review commission, removal of hostel curfews, release of minutes of executive council meetings, revision and codification of “arbitrary” exam rules, commissioning an SBA constitution, timely organisation of convocations and filling vacancies in several administrative and teaching posts. On 29 August, the top law universities of India released a statement of solidarity , extending their support to the students of HNLU and other national law schools facing similar issues. This includes National Law School of India University, in Bengaluru, National Academy of Legal Studies and Research in Hyderabad and National University of Juridical Sciences, Kolkata. It was only on the third day of the protest that the chancellor of the university appointed Ravi Shankar Sharma, the Principal Secretary of the Government of Chhattisgarh as the interim vice-chancellor of the university, reported Live Law . On 30 August, as a mark of respect to the new vice-chancellor, students agreed to resume classes but wore black outfits and arm bands as a sign of continuing protest, according to The Wire. After meetings between the vice-chancellor and student representatives, a silent flashlight march was also held across the campus. HNLU students have asked the administration for written assurances that their demands will be met and said they plan to continue the protests until they are. So far, the HNLU administration has not accepted the agitation, despite its peaceful nature, and according to the students, it has threatened to disperse the protesters by calling security forces, reported Bar and Bench . The protest at HNLU, which has been going on for seven days now, has garnered attention on social media because of hashtags like #HNLUKiAzaadi. Lawyers, activists and other law schools have extended their support to the protesting students. The Chhattisgarh Congress tweeted:

Commenting on the protests, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said:

In fact, several known social media faces weighed in on the subject: