Scheduled Caste students of a college in Uttar Pradesh have lodged a complaint with the institution and police alleging that they had been stopped from drawing water from a common tank on the hostel campus.

The SC students, who study at SS College in Shahjahanpur and live in the Government Schedule Caste Girls’ Hostel, have alleged that some students from the forward castes and Other Backward Classes have been preventing them from collecting water from the tank over the past few days.

The hostel houses poor students from various social backgrounds. The SC students have submitted with the complaint a picture of a Hindi poster that declares that “the students of the Scheduled Castes shouldn’t draw water from the tank without permission”.

“We saw the poster on a wall of the hostel on Wednesday. Some girls of forward and backward castes have been opposing SC students collecting water from the tank taps. We have complained to thecollege management and Chawk Kotwali police,” said a student who didn’t want to be named.

“We didn’t want to get involved in such trivial issues. We all are here to study and build our careers. Recently, they tore a poster of Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar from the wall of the hostel, but we remained silent. There is only one tank on the hostel campus. Either we have to use the same taps or leave the hostel. Let us see how the police and the college management react to our complaint,” she added.

K.B. Singh, an inspectorof Chawk Kotwali, said: “The police haven’t received a written complaint from the students but we are aware of the problem. I have visited the hostel and spoken to many inmates. They all are willing to coexist.”

Anurag Agrawal, vice-principal of SS College, said: “The girl students of the college live in the hostel but it is managed by the social welfare department of the state government. We have suggested that the complainants submit a copy with the social welfare department.”