Tension escalated at Bhopal’s Barkatullah University on Monday, November 12, as female students protested against their hostel warden, accusing her of preventing them from visiting the campus temple.
The students alleged that the warden had banned them from attending religious gatherings, specifically Sundarkand recitations at the Hanuman temple within the university premises. The incident, reported by IANS, triggered a sit-in demonstration as students voiced their grievances, claiming that the warden’s actions infringed upon their religious rights.
One of the protesting students, Preeti Pawar, shared that the warden warned students against participating in any Sundarkand readings, threatening disciplinary action against those who defied the order. "We were told we’d face consequences if we attended these gatherings," Pawar stated. Another student, Karishma Pawar, recounted an incident on October 22 when students returned to the hostel ten minutes late after attending a Sundarkand recitation. According to Karishma, the warden reprimanded them and issued threats of expulsion, further warning of "serious consequences" for future visits to the temple without prior permission.
The students claimed the warden’s behaviour included verbal abuse, which they described as unacceptable. Bharti, another student, accused the warden of harsh language and argued that the warden had no authority to prevent them from worshipping at the campus temple. "It’s a basic right to worship; the warden has no right to take that away," she asserted.
In solidarity with the protesting students, members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) joined the demonstration, organizing protests across the campus. Crowds gathered outside the vice-chancellor’s office, where students expressed dissent by singing Ram Dhun, a devotional chant. The protestors demanded immediate action, urging university authorities to address the alleged restrictions and harassment by the hostel warden.