Scores of women of Delhi University’s Gargi College alleged that they were sexually harassed, groped and even stalked during the college’s annual festival ‘Reverie’ on Friday, the last day of the three-day event.
Around 4.30 p.m., hundreds of men allegedly barged into the college campus without valid ID or passes issued by the festival organising committee, students alleged. Videos from the day show scores of people pushing their way into the university and some even jumping the gates despite deployment of bouncers and security personnel.
Multiple students whom The Hindu spoke to, requesting anonymity, alleged that they were groped by men, catcalled and even stalked.
Chilling accounts
One student said that she complained about a group of men following her friend, but no serious action was taken following which they stalked her. The victim said that the men followed her to the metro station and got off at the same station along with her, but she managed to slip away. “The metro station is a place I go every day. It’s so scary, I am not sure what to do,” the student said, adding that she hadn’t decided whether to lodge a complaint or not.
Others told The Hindu that on the pretence that there were too many people and no space, men placed their hands on them, pushed and groped them. In a chilling account, shared via social media, a student alleged that men groped her and masturbated on her.
Students also said that they complained to principal Promila Kumar around the time hundreds of men made their way into the campus. Ms. Kumar said that she sent additional security to check on the situation but found that there was no issue.
Ms. Kumar said that she received no other complaint apart from two students who came to her in the afternoon. She said that she would speak to the students to understand what the problem was and wanted to assure them that their safety is her top priority. “We did our best to provide full security and were there throughout the day. We left only late at night,” Ms. Kumar said.
This is not the first time that such an incident had taken place, students said. Last year also similar incident took place and a complaint was filed with the Internal Complaints Committee with nearly 100 women alleging to have faced harassment, a student informed.
Keeping in view the issues faced last year, a separate barricade was set up this year to keep the crowd away, Ms. Kumar said.
‘No complaint received’
However, police said that no PCR call was made and they haven’t received any complaint regarding the incident.