On Tuesday morning, February 27, the University of Hyderabad student union organised a protest following the burning of clothes belonging to two transgender students. The incident of arson took place late evening on Saturday and was subsequently reported on Sunday morning. Hritik and Tikku are both transgender students from marginalised backgrounds and members of the Ambedkarite Students’ Association at the university. Their clothes were discovered charred at the university’s Hostel K, which is a men’s hostel where they were compelled to reside.
In their protest the students raised several demands including the identification of the perpetrators and action to be taken against them, as well as systemic changes such as the constitution and implementation of a transgender policy in the university.
Sabrang India spoke to Hritik, who stated that they have filed a complaint mentioning all the past attacks they faced by right-wing forces, and that the administration has accepted most of their demands. Hritik said, “Finally the Vice-Chancellor came down to meet us students. We asked why has the administration been sitting on the various complaints by Dalit and Trans people? They have agreed to our demands and released a circular that they will authorise a committee to draft a transgender policy for the upcoming prospectus for the admission cycle. They have also initiated an inquiry in the incident.”
Describing the current situation within HCU and other universities, Hritik explained, “They are not taking into account the transphobia that comes from students that are not even transgender, where Dalit men are harassed and called slurs. We need some measures, not only regulations and guidelines. These mechanisms should address all kinds of harassment and violence that students go through. Of course, infrastructural issues should be taken up. There are a lot of places and universities that are providing gender neutral hostels. But they also have to take into account that transgender students are not isolated from other students.”
In 2022, the UGC issued regulations regarding the university’s responsibility towards its transgender students in a manual titled Accessibility Guidelines and Standards for Higher Education Institutions and Universities. It highlights that university are mandated by law to have independent toilet units for ‘transgender persons,’ and also cites the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019 which mentions that education institutes that are “funded or recognized by the relevant governments” should have inclusive education, sports and recreational facilities for transgender persons without discrimination. However the UGC guidelines fail to recognise the need for safe spaces and built infrastructure such as hostels for transgender students.
Due to the lack of clear legislative provisions or directives, universities continue to neglect the concerns of transgender students, as evidenced in the recent case of arson from Hyderabad. This continues to be an issue that is not isolated but rather endemic to the university establishments in the country. In 2021, University of Hyderabad had similarly seen another incident where a transgender student was humiliated and harassed by a security guard.
Across India, transgender students have to struggle for finding something as simple as hostels while trying to continue their education. In 2022, it took Yashika, a dalit-trans woman from Delhi and student at Punjab University’s Centre for Human Rights and Duties, six months, nine letters, several meetings and two sit-in protests to finally receive accommodation. She went on to file a petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking directions for a gender-neutral hostel on campus.
In the same year, a petition was also filed in the Karnataka High Court by Dr. Trinetra Haldar Gummaraju for gender neutral hostel facilities across all universities in the state, as she herself had been denied room in the women’s hostel of Kasturba Medical College, Manipal when she studied there for four years. The petitioner noted that transgender students are often forced out of hostels due to incidents of harassment and many students drop out and leave education due to the discrimination they face.
In Tata Institute of Social Sciences, (TISS) Mumbai, student demands and advocacy led to the creation of a separate gender neutral hostel by the administration for students which is frequently dubbed as ‘India’s first gender neutral hostel’. The hostel does not compel students to provide administrative proof or certificate for their gender identity to gain residence at the hostel because for transgender students, particularly those who come out during their academic years, there is a need to recognize the right to self-determine one’s gender identity.
Students and queer collectives across many university campuses have been consistently demanding gender neutral hostels and washrooms, as well as policies that encourage the creation of safe spaces for transgender students.
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