TERE HISSE KI DUNIYA PAR

KISSI KA RAAZ KYU HO…

Baghawat Kar Aur Takar Le
The struggle for Women Liberation cannot be successful in isolation
from the struggle to overthrow the imperialist system itself.
- Anuradha Ghandhy
Centuries have gone by; women and queers are still trapped in the Brahmanical patriarchal structure of society.
They have been attacked on all fronts, socio-political and economic. They have been subjugated via
institutions of caste and patriarchy. Mere rights, reforms, laws, and freedom on paper are often seen as
liberation. But have we been liberated from the chains of this patriarchal semi-colonial semi-feudal society?
India is soaked in the mud of Brahmanical fascism and crimes against women and queers are skyrocketing.
India ranks 148 in women safety making it one of the most unsafe countries for women. Delhi remains the
rape capital and the most unsafe city in the world. Sham Policies like “beti bachao, beti padhao” are a hollow
facade and have given the women of India nothing.

The Fearful Campus Space

University campuses are the reflection of the society beyond the limited campus area. One such incident would
be the Gargi College mass harassment case in 2020 where local men had enter the campus space and had
openly masturbated and sexually abused multiple female students, justice is still pending. Extremely sexist
and misogynistic celebrations like the virgin tree puja on Valentine’s Day in Hindu College are still practiced
widely on the campus.
DU barely has any girls’ hostels. Few hostels which are for women are been allocated after harassing
interviews and later on been caged into the same like animals, thrashing time and movement restrictions, and
various interrogations. Also, policies like NEP are a direct attack on the oppressed majority of the country and
also largely on women by legitimization of dropouts, as it is hiking the fee in every institution the recent
example of which is Rajiv Gandhi Hostel for Girls, where women students along with other students have
protested for such fee hike and arbitrary norms of administration.
Ironically the safest space or an escape from the patriarchal settings of the households becomes equally
and sometimes even more toxic and abusive for the female and queer students, as it leads to day-to-day
teasing and sexual harassments and even to rapes in many cases.
The case of Chandigarh University is a menacing example of how the patriarchy has been scolding women
even where they felt safest. As some of us may think of the major culprit as a woman itself but the blackmailing
of the same woman by her boyfriend clears that she is itself the victim. And the covering of the culprits and
stating it as a case of one woman by the administration and police is a most shameful and clear portrayal of
the patriarchal state attitude.
They are constantly cat-called, followed on the streets, and in the classrooms, and face all forms of sexism
and misogyny. Female students are still morally policed for the choices they make. Boys locker room
conversation, objectification, and limitations of women to mere objects of pleasure are but the usual norm of
every classroom in the so-called most prestigious Universities.
Patriarchy being a pronged system of oppression is not only limited to the oppression of women but also
expands, even more severely, to Queers and Trans people. More often their existence is not even recognized
as they deviate from the ascribed bonds of the structure of patriarchal family.

Laws and Justice System for Women

We have often heard, especially from people in the profession of law, that women hold much more autonomy
in law as there are more provisions for women and, she is “heard” more in court, and portrays men themselves
as victims of the justice system. The shallowness of these arguments gets exposed when we practically and
historically analyse the role of law and judiciary for liberation. The recent spike in anti-people laws and
judgments. Numerous examples can be given, few being the release of the 11 rapists of Bilkis Bano and Kerala
High court stating that the sexual harassment charge will not stand as woman was wearing “provocative
clothes”.
Providing the several rights and freedom on paper is the most this system was able to provide that too after
the strong resistance of women. The practice of Dowry, Sati Pratha, and Child Marriage are few examples that
expose such claims.
Several thousand Adivasis women are still raped by CRPF, police forces and Goons sponsored by the state,
also never even able to file an FIR. Rapists from 2002 are still free. Marital rape is still not a crime in India.
Raping your ex-wife is seen as a lesser offensive crime and has shorter punishment duration.

Need to Organise and Resist

Throughout the history various philosophical trends within the feminist movement, the liberation of women
and queer people who do not fit in the social construct created by the patriarchal society of the semi-colonial
semi-feudal Indian conditions. Since most of these ideas represent the middle class and bourgeoisie class of
the society, they are unable to point out the oppression and liberation idea of the marginalized class and caste,
this movement is circled around the mere cultural aspects and doesn't undertake any socio-political ideas hence
they were unable to give the correct path for the women emancipation and their liberation. We should have a
strong understanding that women and queer liberation cannot be successful in isolation from the struggle to
overthrow the reactionary forces.
Historically, women have come forward in the struggle against the Brahmanical patriarchal structure. Phoolan
devi, Savitri Bai Phule, Pandita Ramabai - to name a few. Women and queer oppression will not wither away.
Women and queer liberation demand a class struggle. Thus, it is established that women and queer
emancipation are not possible without the complete abolition of patriarchy, without a revolution that seeks to
overturn the present-day oppressive societal order.
Only a united action against this patriarchal structure can emancipate us from its’ oppression. We thus have
to build people’s structures to fight against it.

Make The Campus Free

Gender sensitization is a step to recognise the autonomy of women and queer people. No efforts are taken by
the university toward gender sensitization, to help them reclaim their space without any fear and develop as
complete individuals without the domination and interference of patriarchal forces. The need of the hour, calls
more swift initiatives from the university. This would include GSCASH in every college, constant seminars
on gender and gender sensitization.
bsCEM calls for strict action against the abusers and will also work on bringing a transformation and reform
of such students. This will by done by having conversation on gender and regular check. We have to form
various teams of women and queer students across colleges to take radical actions against the lumpen elements
present. The teams will act as a representative of students to demand a functioning GSCASH, and other
measures to make campus spaces safer.