Thiruvananthapuram Mayor Arya Rajendran has taken up cudgels for the students of the College of Engineering Thiruvananthapuram (CET) who protested against the alleged moral policing by local residents who cut a steel bench into three at a bus shelter frequented by the students.
Ms. Rajendran, who visited the waiting area at Sreekaryam on Thursday, lashed out at attempts to impede the freedom of the student community and impose conservatism on youngsters.
The bus shelter has been the cynosure of debate since Wednesday after a group of second-year engineering students protested the “separation” of the bench by a residents association in an apparent bid to prevent them from sitting together. The local community used to allegedly accuse the students of engaging in “inappropriate behaviour” after finding fault with girls interacting freely with boys. They also claimed that the students often denied local residents the use of the waiting area.
In a show of dissent, the students occupied the seats with others sitting on their laps. The photos of symbolic protest soon went viral on social media and the students began to receive an outpouring of support. Many political leaders, including General Education Minister V. Sivankutty and Congress leader K.S. Sabarinadhan, an alumnus of CET, have expressed their support for the students.
The Mayor said the waiting area had been illegally constructed on the side of a Public Works department (PWD) road. The structure will be dismantled and replaced with a ‘gender-neutral’ and modern bus stop by the Corporation, she added.
