Girl students' harassment at Delhi college fest: DCW exposes 'glaring' lapses in police probe
Some "unknown" men allegedly trespassed, shouted slogans and harassed women students during the annual 'Shruti' festival at the Indraprastha College for Women (IPCW). The students have alleged that some men climbed the college boundary and harassed several women students during the festival.
Delhi Commission for Women has lashed out at the Delhi Police for reportedly going slow in the investigation into the March 28 incident wherein some men barged into the Delhi University's Indraprastha College and allegedly molested some girls attending the educational institution's festival.
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The DCW highlighted that even 10 days after the incident, the Delhi Police had not collected the CCTV footage from the college. The police informed the women's body that they had collected partial footage from the college on April 8. DCW has recommended that the Delhi Police urgently collect and analyse the complete footage of the incident to provide them with the complete footage.
The DCW also lamented that the Delhi Police let go of the five suspects it had picked up, on the same day itself. The body urged the police to make efforts to identify all perpetrators in the matter and arrest them at the earliest.
Yet another point over which the DCW was unhappy with the Delhi Police officials was the statements not being taken from the survivors detailing their ordeal. Delhi Police officials told the commission that the statements of only two of the accused had been recorded under Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code.
To recall, some "unknown" men allegedly trespassed, shouted slogans and harassed women students during the annual 'Shruti' festival at the Indraprastha College for Women (IPCW). The students have alleged that some men climbed the college boundary and harassed several women students during the festival. Following their protests, the DU formed a committee to look into "the grievances raised by the students" and asked the panel to submit its report in a week.
The police have registered an FIR under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) and 188 (disobedience to an order lawfully promulgated by a public servant).
Last week, several Delhi University students held a rally at the north campus on Thursday demanding justice for victims of alleged harassment. The rally, called by the Left-backed All India Students Association (AISA), demanded the resignation of the Indraprastha College for Women principal Poonam Kumria.
They said the rally was taken out to protest the "apathetic" IPCW and DU administrations which have "colluded to repress the movement of women students instead of taking immediate action in the matter".
KYS, in a statement, said, "It should be noted that instead of taking immediate action on the demands of the protesting women students and activists, the DU and IPCW administrations have hitherto been adamant in their apathy. The IPCW administration has formed a so-called disciplinary committee and has asked students to come forward with their complaints. It is alleged that the committee is intimidating students and teachers and victimizing the students who are steering the movement against IPCW administration."