Gargi College Students Protest Against Sexual Assault, Police Launches Probe

Students of Delhi University ’s Gargi College held a protest on Monday, days after a group of men allegedly entered the campus and sexually harassed them during the annual cultural festival. They have demanded strict action against the intruders.  

The Delhi Police said it has launched a probe into the incident and is scanning CCTV footage to gather evidence. The police has also registered a case  at Hauz Khas police station after receiving a complaint from college authorities.

The incident happened on 6 February, the last day of the three-day college festival ‘Reverie’, but came to light only after some students narrated their experience on Instagram .

The protesting students, PTI reported, said that the college management did not take any action even after the students reported the matter to them. They also said that Rapid Action Force and Delhi Police personnel were deployed close to the gate from where the men entered the college, but they did nothing to control the unruly crowd.

The students alleged that they were threatened by the intruders, who also made objectionable remarks. A student told PTI that they took up the matter with the teachers and college management on 7 February itself. 

“The management said they had ‘taken note’ of it. They didn’t promise to take any action, after which many students shared their horrific experiences on Instagram,” the student said.

Acting Principal Promila Kumar had said on Sunday that the event was open for boys studying in other DU colleges and police, commandos and bouncers were present on the campus. She also seemed to imply that it was the students’ fault that they were molested.

“There was an arena in the campus meant only for girls. If they were outside that, it was their personal choice,” she had told The Indian Express .

Kumar also told IANS that “No one approached us to report any such incident. We were making rounds in the crowd. No doubt there was a large crowd but we were very vigilant and couldn’t see anything of this sort happened.” 

Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief Swati Maliwal reached the college on Monday to take stock of the situation. The DCW has issued a notice to the college and the Delhi Police for inaction.

Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal , in a tweet, demanded strict punishment for the intruders. 

The matter was also raised in the Lok Sabha, with HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal saying that outsiders were behind the incident and the administration of the college has been told to take action.

(With PTI inputs)