Dark Stretches and Harassment Concerns Spark Urgent Demand for Safety Reforms at Panjab University

Chandigarh: While the AC Joshi Library at Panjab University (PU) stands as a beacon of academic excellence with its 24/7 accessibility, a growing number of women students find the walk back to their hostels an ordeal marked by fear and anxiety. As the sun sets, the vibrant campus environment shifts, leaving female students to navigate poorly illuminated stretches that have become breeding grounds for safety concerns and, increasingly, harassment.

Inadequate Infrastructure Fuels Anxiety

The primary grievance voiced by students involves the persistent “dark spots” along critical transit routes. Specifically, paths connecting the Boys’ Hostel No. 3 area to Girls’ Hostels 1 and 2, and the trail between the university ground and tennis courts toward Girls’ Hostels 3, 4, and 5, remain inadequately lit. Despite being heavily traversed by students finishing late-night study sessions, these segments lack functional street lighting and consistent CCTV surveillance.

The administration has previously acknowledged these infrastructure gaps, proposing a third phase of CCTV installation with a budget of Rs 75 lakh. While this project aims to cover ten high-priority locations, including the paths leading to women’s residences, implementation has been slow. PU Campus Students’ Council President Ankit Bidhan confirmed he has urged the university’s electrical department to prioritize the repair of faulty streetlights, demanding immediate rectification to prevent further safety lapses.

The ‘Geri’ Culture and Vehicular Safety

The alarm over dark stretches is inseparable from the intensifying debate regarding vehicular movement on campus. On October 30, student organizations held a vocal demonstration outside the Vice-Chancellor’s office, reiterating a long-standing demand for a total ban on four-wheelers within university grounds.

Protesters argue that the campus has become a hunting ground for individuals engaged in ‘geri’—a local term for aimless, often disruptive, joyrides. Students allege that motorists frequently use these drives to follow women, pass lewd comments, and create an atmosphere of intimidation. This demand for a vehicle-free zone is deeply rooted in the traumatic memory of a 2015 fatal accident where a student lost her life after being struck by a car on campus—a tragedy that led to a student referendum on traffic restrictions.

A Call for Institutional Change

The agitation has gained significant momentum following recent external events, including a viral video showing a PU student confronting men in a Mahindra Thar near the Sector 15 market. This incident served as a catalyst, drawing attention to the broader dangers women face both within and immediately outside university boundaries.

During a recent forum titled ‘Half the Sky,’ held on October 27, over 50 students shared harrowing accounts of being shadowed by vehicles and experiencing restrictive mobility. The participants did more than just voice grievances; they presented a roadmap for change. Their demands include:

• A Vehicle-Free Campus: Implementing a complete ban on four-wheelers to eliminate the ‘geri’ culture.
• Administrative Reform: Overhauling the university’s Internal Complaints Committee to ensure it is more responsive to student reports of harassment.
• Infrastructure Support: Providing round-the-clock, reliable university transport to ensure students do not have to walk through dark, isolated patches at night.

As the university administration faces mounting pressure, the student body remains firm: academic freedom cannot exist without the guarantee of physical safety. Whether the authorities will act decisively to ban four-wheelers and upgrade security remains the pressing question for the PU community.

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