Panel recommends separate gates, CCTVs to make DU women’s colleges safer
The committee was set up in the aftermath of a March 28 incident at the Indraprastha College for Women when men entered the college by scaling the boundary wall and allegedly molested students on the college campus.
Two separate gates for entry and exit, increased height of boundary wall, use of concertina wire over the boundary to prevent illegal entry, installation of CCTV cameras, restricted entry of outsiders are among a raft of measures suggested by a Delhi University-appointed committee to ensure safety of students at women’s colleges affiliated to the university, officials aware of the matter said on Friday.
The committee was set up in the aftermath of a March 28 incident during the annual cultural festival of the Indraprastha College for Women when men entered the college by scaling the boundary wall and allegedly molested students on the college campus.
Students at the college have staged several protests since the incident and sought principal Poonam Kumria’s resignation. On April 4, Delhi University constituted a five-member committee to inquire into the incident. The committee was also asked to suggest measures to curb such incidents in the future.
While the committee is yet to submit its final report, it has framed guidelines in consultation with the Delhi Police which will be notified about the guidelines on Monday, officials said.
“The proctor office has framed guidelines. We were going to notify the guidelines this week but police have also provided valuable inputs which will be incorporated into the guidelines created by us. By Monday, we will be notifying the guidelines,” said DU proctor Rajni Abbi, who is also a member of the committee.
Abbi said that the committee had made various suggestions that could be implemented to keep colleges safe. “Colleges should remain a safe space during festivals as well. They should take into account their crowd-holding capacity and make arrangements accordingly and restrict entry. Colleges should have proper lighting and the stage to be used for the festival should be structurally safe,” said Abbi.
She said that the committee had reviewed the incident at IP College, and identified areas of improvement and interventions that various colleges could take to avoid any untoward incidents in the future.
“If the boundary walls of colleges are not sufficiently high, they definitely need to get concertina wire placed on them. They should also have CCTV cameras. IP College has one gate for entry and exit. We are going to suggest that they create more entry-exit gates. This is crucial not only during the fest or any other event but also during any other emergency situation,” said Abbi.
Principal Kumria did not respond to calls and messages seeking comment
On Tuesday, the Delhi Commission for Women issued interim recommendations for the Delhi Police, Delhi University and Indraprastha College for Women, following its initial conversation with all stakeholders regarding the alleged sexual harassment incident. The DCW has given till April 18 to all authorities to implement them.
DCW chairperson Swati Maliwal said, “Girls are sexually harassed in their own college fests and the authorities are not doing enough... We have given our report in the matter and I expect strong action.”
DCW said that Delhi Police registered an FIR in the matter on the date of the incident itself and the college forwarded 231 complaints and representations to it on April 4. The commission also found that four people were injured, and one student sustained a fracture.