10 arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting students of Gargi College
10 people, including six students of Delhi University, have been arrested in connection to the sexual harassment that happened at Gargi College last week. The remaining four belong to a private college from Gurugram. Police said they were arrested on charges of trespass and molestation will be added once victims record their statements. Over 11 police teams were formed for this case.
Last Thursday, during the final day of Gargi College fest Reverie, a plethora of unruly men barged into the campus in South Delhi and molested girls. This happened despite the security personnel's presence at the women-only's institute. Students alleged some of the molesters were between 30-40 years. They touched them inappropriately, passed lewd comments, and also followed some girls till the metro station.
"I was groped three times and I had to stay in for 40 minutes. When I did go out to an empty space... a man started masturbating at me," a student recalled the ordeal to NDTV. She chose to remain anonymous.
Molested, the students sought action from the college administration but were let down. Principal Promila Kumar's first reaction to the incident was that students should have remained inside the "arena". "If they were outside that, it was their personal choice," she said. Outraged over administration and police's laxity, students protested on campus. A couple of students alleged this has been a recurring issue.
After four days, a case was registered. DCP (South) Atul Kumar Thakur said technical details are being figured out. "Many people are being questioned and multiple suspects have been identified," he added. A senior cop said the accused were identified with the help of 32 CCTV cameras. He said while some men had relevant passes, others entered the campus illegally but weren't stopped.
"Footage also shows that around 4:30 pm, some people climbed atop the caterer's car parked outside the main gate and jumped into the college. It also shows them breaking gate number 2 and entering the campus illegally," the senior cop told IE.
Most of the arrested men are between 18 and 25 years. They told police they went to the campus to witness Jubin Nautiyal's performance. Reportedly, they didn't have passes. Police took action after more than 100 students protested inside the campus. They have been giving classes a miss too. The incident also caught the attention of the National Commission for Women, which sent a team for investigation.
After the horrendous incident, Delhi University directed its colleges to ensure the safety of women. "You are requested to take immediate steps to review the status of safety and security of female in your colleges, and accordingly prepare plans to strengthen their safety and security in consultation with the stakeholders, law enforcement agencies and social organizations working in the field," proctor Neeta Sehgal said.
