Students at Lavale colleges face harassment from residents over their 'outrageous' clothes and behaviour

Students of International School of Business & Media (ISB&M) and Symbiosis Institute in Lavale say they have to face harassment at the hands of local residents everyday.

According to Nipun Sandilya, a final year Mass Communication student at ISB&M, the residents bother them whenever they move out of the college dressed in casuals.
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The road that leads to the college campuses has no streetlights or habitation at some spots, making students easy targets.

"If we wear T-shirts or shorts, they stop us and ask us not to wear them. They say that we should not wear vulgar clothes as there are women around," said Sandilya.
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"In the past, we used to get into arguments with them. Some had even threatened to beat us."

Beaten up

A second year student from Symbiosis Institute of Technology (SIT), who did not wish to be named, said, "We were watching a cricket match and did not realise that there was a funeral procession.
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The locals asked us to lower the volume of the television, which we did.

After the rituals were over, some of them walked inside the hostel and started beating us," he said. "When the hostel in-charge intervened, they slapped him.

Later, we complained to the authorities and refused to stay in the hostel. Now the authorities have accommodated us in the guest house within the campus."

Most students say that it is becoming increasingly difficult for them to use the stretch late at night. But no complaint has been lodged yet.

"We are here only for two years and don't want to get into any hassle. But we have addressed the issue to the college authorities," the SIT student said.
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College authorities say that they do not compromise on the safety of students.

Flouting rules

"We have certain rules and regulations in place. We recommend that students should use the college bus but there are some who prefer travelling by their vehicles," said Shaillejaa Jadhav, head, administration, Symbiosis Institute of Mass Communication.u00a0

"Students are supposed to return to the campus by 10 pm but they hardly follow rules."

She rubbished the complaints made by students about harassment.

"We have mandatory bus services for students, so there is no question of students travelling by two-wheelers," said Santosh Shelker, administrator from ISB&M. "We have no reports of any incident with the students."

Some students admit that college authorities are unable to take action against the local residents. As the college is in the same locality, they prefer to hush up matters.

1,300
Number of students in all courses at the Symbiosis Institute

1,000
Number of students in all courses at ISB&M

The Other Side

Local residents claim they are unhappy with the dresses and attitude of the young people staying in hostels in their area. u00a0 PT Mane, Gram Sevak, Zilla Parishad, Sus Gaon, said, "It is important the students adjust themselves to the way the villagers live. u00a0 We have been facing various problems because of them. They party till wee hours with loud music, ride their bikes at full throttle that scares the locals. u00a0 We also had some accidents in the past because of the students." He said, "If the students live peacefully then no one will bother them. Both the boys and girls wear shorts and roam on the streets." How do you like the new new mid-day.com experience? Share your feedback and help us improve. Read Next Story MiD DAY Test Drive: Week 4, Day 2› Trending Stories Latest Photos Latest Videos Latest Web Stories ADVERTISEMENT Mid-Day Fast ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT