Of course girls are free to go to AMU library

Reports have it that vice-chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University, Lt Gen Zameer Uddin Shah, has stated there would be "four times more boys" in the library if girls were allowed in. As an alumnus, and a woman at that, let me dip into my own experiences about the AMU campus and tell you what the truth is.

The news floating around lends an impression that girls in general are "barred" from entering the library premises, turning it into a gender row. Well, this is not true. My department, Masters in Journalism and Mass Communication, was right opposite the grand Maulana Azad Library. I had a membership of the library and I used to frequent it. I was never denied an access because I am a woman. In fact, even a generation back it was never an issue. I remember my aunt going to the university on a bicycle and coming back with a bundle of books.

The controversy has somehow conjured up an image that girls are not allowed to enter the library. To be clear, this rule is only for undergraduate students, who are a part of AMU Women's College (a separate campus around three kilometres away from the main campus). And the fact is, the women's college is not representative of all women studying in the university. There are women from other departments, including medical college, engineering college and others departments such as management studies, PG students of all faculties, who are free go to the library.

To put things in perspective, the Women's College has its own library. One cannot compare it with the Maulana Azad Library but it is adequate enough. Besides, almost every department in AMU has its own seminar and a book bank. Many students do not even feel the need to go to library in question - even men. Moreover, considering the fact that the women's college is at a distance from the university campus, many never feel the need to visit the library, as books are made easily available inside the campus.

I think this controversy is more of an administrative issue. Considering there are more than 28,000 students enrolled at the 100-year-old institution, and accommodating all to have access to the library, is essentially a logistics issue. In fact, you can see a comfortable number of women going to the library at any given time. So, it really bothers me when I read on Twitter with hashtags that AMU girls are not allowed to go to the library.

AMU has many problems. One can complain about many things in the university but the current controversy is superficial.