Freedom or safety? City-based college students debate the relevance of curfew timings in college hostels, and demand it to be uniform for boys and girls
Shyam Kumar,
19, SRM University, Ramapuram
There shouldn’t be any curfew time or restrictions in college hostels. College is a place to learn and have new experiences. The freedom given to students is the first step towards a better future. Some may argue that it’s for the students’ safety but the times of fear have changed.
Sumanth,
19, Hindustan University
The curfew time must be 11 pm. Not every hostel has the reception open through the night; the staff needs to sleep, too. Curfew time will keep you safe. But yes, curfew does come in the way of having fun.
Aayush Salecha,
20, DG Vaishnav College
Curfew timings for hostel students does more harm than good. Student have the right to contest their opinions. However, this should be done through dialogue and not confrontation. While the issue of safety has to be kept in mind, students too should be seen as adults and treated as individuals. In a world where feminism is a hot topic, one major point of discrimination that can be seen is the difference in curfew timings for boys and girls in hostels. There are still hostels which have no or relaxed curfew timings for boys but stringent timings for girls,. This discrimination should be strictly removed as it makes girls feel inferior to boys despite being on the exact same platform. Boys can be entrusted to make their decisions but girls can’t? This is regressive. Having two sisters, I want nothing more than their safety but not at the cost of their freedom. We as a nation need to understand that protection and freedom are two different things.
Dimple Matta, 19, MT Educare CA
Curfew timings make us feel like we’re in a prison. Hostels are our home away from home. And home means freedom. There doesn’t have to be a curfew time at all. In case there is, it should be 10 pm. We’re all responsible students. We know how to take care of ourselves.
Kiran Kumar,
20, VIT University
Discrimination in curfew time for boys and girls in hostel makes girls feel inferior. They are not allowed to be outside campus after 7 pm. We should build an equally safe society for both boys and girls.
Poojhitha Xavier, 19, Pondicherry Institute of Medical Sciences
I think 9 pm should be the curfew time because that is the earliest a college student can return to the hostel. If a girl or a guy can handle him/herself in the hostel I am pretty sure they can handle themselves outside as well. If you are given the freedom, I think you should be mature enough to handle yourself.
Reeti Chordia, 18, MOP Vaishnav College for Women
Constant curfews, dress code and “no interaction” with the opposite gender is how a girl recalls her college years. When it came to rules for girls in the hostel, there was outright discrimination. Even though the campus was well guarded, girls had to return to the hostel by 7 pm while boys could stay out till 10 pm. We couldn’t even be seen around the campus and had to be back in the hostel rooms by the curfew time. When it came to going out of the hostel, for an overnight stay, boys would easily get passes but we were required to show a faxed permission by our parents to get the passes. Girls are in fact responsible and know how to take care of themselves, and if curfew is for the safety of girls then the curfew time no way helps, because if anything can happen after 7 pm in the evening, it can happen any time during the day.
Sanjana Raghu, 20, Rajalakshmi Engineering College
Setting a curfew time isn’t going to help tighten the safety factor. Safety isn’t measured with time but the mindset of the people. Unless this is understood by everyone I don’t see how curfew can be linked with safety.
Kuldeep Kumar,
20, VIT University, Vellore
Curfew always has a positive impact on people living in a hostel. Every hostel has its own rules. Some don’t have any curfew time while others do. Hostels cannot be blamed because parents want their children to be safe, and that is the purpose of curfew time. Those who want to go out without any restrictions, hostels should permit it. Hostels should not have different timings for girls and boys. They should be treated equally.
M Deepika,
22, Venkateswara Homeopathic Medical College and Hospital
Curfew is unacceptable. It is followed strictly only in the girls’ hostel. In the earlier days, curfew was imposed because transport facilities were poor and minimal. Why should it continue now? Is India not safe?