A day before the Delhi assembly poll results are expected, another incident in Delhi has become the headlines. A group of men broke into All-women Gargi college and allegedly grope and harassed the students. The matter is now under probe and Delhi police is scanning the CCTV footage to identify the suspects.
Nightmare of men gatecrashing the college
Students of the Gargi college said that the place which they assumed to be the safest place seemed to have a complete lack of security. It was like a nightmare for them that the group of men forcefully entered the college and groped, molested and assaulted students. They alleged that the men were in their 30s and drunk. Some of them even dragged some girls and performed obscene acts. Some girls who ran towards the washroom to save them, men followed them and locked up them in the washroom. Some men jumped over the gate to enter into the campus while the others jumped off the wall to harass the students.
Statements by the students concerning about their security
The incident of molestation and harassment of the students by the outsiders inside the college campus has put the question on the security of the campus. Students claimed that there were both police personnel and private security arrangements in place but they got no help. They were also unable to make calls for help due to the jammers installed in the college. However, in a statement given by the officiating Principal Promila Kumar, there were no jammers installed and also the college management had not received any complaint. She added that there were full security measures including barricades near the stage. Also, there was an arena meant for the girls but if the girls were outside that, it was their personal choice, says Promila Kumar. After her such statement, many students demanded for the resignation of Kumar over her inability to handle the situation.
Students demanding the action against the outsiders
Many students skipped their classes on Monday, February 10, to demand accountability and action from college authorities against the outsiders who had forcibly entered into the college premises and harassed the students during their cultural fest. The outrage of students of Gargi College after the attack had united the students of the other colleges and several political parties as well to show their anger. Some political parties had also said tk raise this issue in the Parliament to take strict actions against the unidentified outsiders.
Delhi Police came into action
Soon after the incident was reported, the Delhi police had come into the action. It had begun the investigation into the matter of mass sexual harassment in the Gargi College by the unidentified men during the college fest on February 6. The deputy commissioner of police (DCP) South, Atul Thakur said, “We are inquiring into the matter. However, we haven’t received any complaint so far.” However, after four days of the incident, the college has filed a police complaint and has also set up a committee to look into the matter and provide answers to the complainants.