Media professional says she was evicted for her 'rebellious nature'
Media professional says she was evicted for her 'rebellious nature'
The mercury has touched new depths in the Capital this year. But while the city's homeless are being given shelters, the roof has been removed from Shahla Nigar's head. The 26-year-old media professional was thrown out of the working women's hostel in Jamia on an extremely cold winter morning.
No country for youngu00a0 women:u00a0 Shahla Nigar standing outside Mridula
Sarabhai working women's hostel at Jamia Milia, in Delhi on Tuesday.
Pic/ Imtiyaz Khan
"They threw all my luggage on the orders of the Proctor, the Provost and the warden and nobody listened to me. I had nowhere to go and kept standing outside the hostel's gate with my luggage till 4pm," said a distressed Shahla Nigar who alleged the Mridula Sarabhai working women's hostel authorities situated in Jamia forcibly threw her out.
Early morning knock
It was a chilling January 13 morning and Shahla was sleeping when she heard some noises. She opened the door and saw none other than the Proctor of Jamia Milia Islamia University, Provost Arvinder Ansari, the warden Dr Roohi Fatima and some 15-20 security people outside her room. The Provost asked her roommate to shift to a new room upstairs and told Shahla to pack her luggage and leave.
Shahla was forcibly thrown out of Mridula Sarabhai working women's hostel due to "recent amendments" in hostel rules.
Period of stay
The period of stay in the hostel run by the Jamia administration under the Ministry ofu00a0 Woman and child development is valid for 3 years, after three years, the candidate may apply for extension. The period could be extended further for upto two years only but now recent amendments state that the extension will be granted only for one more year. When Shahla's period of three years expired on December 15 2009, she applied for an extension for two more years.
The hostel authorities extended her stay period till December 15, 2011 but it was verbal and the original documents are in the custody of the hostel authorities. Roohi Fatima, the warden issued a notice to Shahla on November 27 last year to vacate her room by December 15,u00a0 2010. Shahla replied to her warden's notice saying that she has been granted extension and there is one more year for her stay to get over. According to Shahla, she applied for a renewal and her renewal form signed by the warden Dr. Roohi Fatima said "admitted" for two more years.
No respite
Shahla then applied to a district court where her plea was rejected, and then she further applied to a higher court where she got the hearing date ofu00a0 January 21. But before her plea was heard, on 13th January morning, the Proctor of Jamia Millia Islamia, Provost and the warden with 15-20 people knocked the door and asked her to vacate the room at very moment. She showed them all the papers and tried to explain that the matter was under court jurisdiction but the authorities paid no heed and ordered the security to throw her luggage out of the room. "Shahla Nigar then called up the policemen who were really of no help but later seen having tea with the Jamia people. I was sleeping when I heard something was happening and when I rushed outside room number 12, I saw that Shahla was pleading to them to let her stay," said an eyewitness.
Allegations refuted
The MSWW hostel authorities say that an amendment was introduced in May 2010 which said that the extension will be granted for only a year and not two years. "We made it clear to everyone that these amendments will be applicable from this year only and due the same reason we have asked other girls to leave. Her stay was over and even after repeated warnings in May and then in November she refused to vacate," said the Provost Arvinder Ansari.
On forcibly throwing the luggage out of her room, the Proctor Mr. Masud Alamu00a0 said that all the allegations are false and everything was happening according to the rules.
u00a0Shahla's local guardian Rocket Ibrahim, who also is a professor inu00a0 Jamia, came with the administration and asked her to leave the room. "He later took me to a room which was not at all fit for living so I left and started staying with my friend", says Shahla who cites her rebellious nature as the main cause for her ousting.
Shahla and other residents staying in MSWW hostel stated that there are three other women in theu00a0 same hostel who have been staying there for 7, 10 and 15 years, respectively which is completely against the rules. Shahla has also approached Delhi Women Commission and will meet Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit tomorrow.
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