BENGALURU: Not just women working night shifts, even girls attending evening colleges in the city feel unsafe. This is because their classes end at 9 pm and there are not enough bus services at that time.
There are over 60 evening colleges across the city affiliated to Bangalore University, where the strength is 150 to 200 per college. As none of these colleges provide transportation, students depend largely on public transport.
The girls say they feel unsafe waiting for a bus. “We experience eve-teasing at bus stops and outside campus,” said a student of Seshadripuram Evening College.
A student who travels from Magadi Road said, “We need more buses after 9 pm. We agree colleges cannot provide transportation. But BMTC can increase the frequency of night services. Most of the time we have to depend on our classmates for a drop back home.”
“Many times I drop my students as there are no buses,” said Rajath, a lecturer at one of the evening colleges.
Prakash, director, Seshadripuram Evening College, said, “So far, we have not received any complaints. No management can provide transport. As our college is in the heart of the city, the problem is not acute. Majority of students leave the campus early after taking permission.”
Apart from evening degree colleges, there are polytechnics, diploma and engineering colleges offering evening courses. University Visvesvaraya College of Engineering (UVCE) offers evening engineering courses from 5.30 pm to 9.30 pm.
Prof K R Venugopal, principal of the college, said, “We ensure that all students leave campus on time and instruct them to go in groups and not to hire cabs.”
There is another problem the students face. Police stations near the evening colleges are registering complaints of outsiders entering campuses. Anil Kumar, police inspector, Rajajinagar, said, “Following complaints by evening college students about outsiders entering college, we do regular patrolling.”
“We have deputed crime staff in mufti near those colleges along with a Cheetah (patrol bike) and a Hoysala (mobile patrol vehicle),” he added. S K Umesh, ACP, Vijaynagar, said, “We do special patrolling in the night.”
BU Decision: Bangalore University’s Jnanabharati entrance is closed by 9 pm.
This decision was taken following the gang-rape of a NLSIU student on its campus in October 2012.