Mumbai: 3 km from horror hostel, students live in terror

The rape and murder of a 19yearold in a hostel nearby has scared the residents of the Mumbai Universityrsquos Madame Bhikaji Rustom Cama Girlsrsquo Hostel at Churchgate The women have alleged that the warden has not visited them even once since the Savitribai Phule Girlsrsquo Hostel incident which has shaken them They also claimed there are no CCTVs in the hostel and no curtains on the windows of their roomsIn some relief however some of them said the hostel has allowed only female security guards after the incident and the police have been visiting their hostel to assure them Talking about the worrying issues the women alleged that the hostel has no functional CCTV or proper fencing They also claimed that doors on the ground floor are transparent All this has left them worriedOne of the rooms without curtains on the windows at the hostel PicSameer MarkandeThe women claimed when they questioned the administration about curtains they were told the curtains would be put up when they left the hostel for vacations ldquoThe hostel building is seven storeys tall and the windows of nearby residential buildings are very close At times we have to put up bed sheets to cover the windows It is so awkwardrdquo said one of the students staying there The annual fees per resident are Rs 10800 and three people share one roomAnother student said ldquoWe requested the administration for curtains but were told that only when we go home during vacations would they get them done For now we will have to do without curtains There are shades but they are broken or stuckrdquoThe Savitribai Phule Girls Hostel is just 35 km 910 minutes away from the Cama hostel ldquoWhat happened at the Savitribai Phule Hostel was shocking We were really scared and most of us were unable to sleep after the news came We had expected the hostel warden to meet us to enquire about our wellbeing But she never camerdquo said a resident The students said a warden stays in the hostel but this warden doesnrsquotResidents of Madame Bhikaji Rustom Cama Girlsrsquo Hostel at Churchgate also alleged that doors on its ground floor are transparent PicSameer MarkandeSome changesAccording to the women however there are some visible changes at the hostel Initially there was one female and one male security guard but after the incident the male security guard was removedldquoWe now have only female security guards for the hostelrdquo said one of the girls She added ldquoThe local police have been making the rounds of our hostel for the past one week They also spoke to the women here about their concerns They told us that we can call the police station or dial 100 if we feel unsafe and need help and also if we feel that the hostel staff was not paying heed to our concernsrdquoDr Kavita Laghate professor at Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies and warden of Cama hostel refused to talk about any issues including safety measures at the hostel and the allegations by the girls She said ldquoI will not comment I need permission from Mumbai University authoritiesrdquoA window with broken and stuck shades in a room at the hostelPolice attentionDeputy Commissioner of Police Zone 1 Pravin Mundhe said ldquoOfficers and personnel from local police stations have been visiting all girlsrsquo hostels in the area They have been talking to the girls and administration about issues and checking for or verifying any security lapses They are also helping and guiding the administration to fix security issues if anyrdquoThere are four girlsrsquo hostels run by Mumbai University which can accommodate a total of about 350 girls Apart from Madame Bhikaji Rustom Cama Girlsrsquo Hostel in Churchgate the other three are mdashMaharshi Dhondo Keshav Karve Girls Hostel Pandita Ramabai Girlsrsquo Hostel and Savitribai Phule Girlsrsquo Hostel