College in rural Delhi wants basic security infrastructure

Some students alleged that there have been several instances of men throwing lewd notes over the dilapidated boundary walls of the college.

In September 2022, dozens of students of Delhi University’s Bhagini Nivedita College sat in protest at the institute’s lawns, demanding basic infrastructure such as safe boundary walls, better lighting across the campus, uninterrupted electricity during class hours and ample security staff around the college entrances be provided to them.

Bhagini Nivedita College near Najafgarh in New Delhi. (Vipin Kumar/HT Photo)

Such demands by the students of this all-women college, located at outer Delhi’s Kair near Najafgarh, are not new — year after year, a new batch of students demands that their college be made a safer place for women, but they say that their requests go unheard.

The college was established in 1993 in the rural and semi-urban outskirts of southwest Delhi. Funded by the Delhi government, it is located around 3km from Mitraon village and is surrounded by secluded farmlands. Students said that the lack of other educational institutions in the area, or even residential neighbourhoods, means vast stretches outside the college are secluded, and a target for unruly elements.

Some students alleged that there have been several instances of men throwing lewd notes over the dilapidated boundary walls of the college, and said that groups of men stand in wait outside the gates to harass the women.

Staff members, declining to be named, said the college authorities have made several requests to the Delhi government for the improvement of the institute’s infrastructure, but little has been done.

“We are aware of the protests by students, but developing infrastructure is not in the hands of the college administration. We have several times requested that the dilapidated state of classrooms, toilets, lawns, and boundary walls be fixed but we have not been able to get these things done from the government. They are not wrong in their demands,” a staff member said.

It’s the students who face the fall-out. Priyanka Rath, a second-year student, said, “We cannot do much about the location of the college, but the government can at least provide basic infrastructure to ensure that students feel safe within the campus.”

A spokesperson of the Delhi government declined to comment despite a request.

Muskaan (who goes by her first name), a final year student, said the college has a high transfer rate primarily because of safety concerns. She said that many students who take admissions in first year, aim to move out because of the isolated location of the college, its poor infrastructure, and safety issues.

“The teachers and staff are very supportive, but they cannot always stand as bodyguards with every student, all the time. In the first and the second year, everyone wants to score good marks so that they can apply for a transfer to a better college in the university,” she said.

College principal Raj Bhardwaj was unable to provide an exact number of students who transfer out of the college after the first year, but admitted that it was on the higher side.

Bhardwaj said the safety of students is of utmost importance, and to ensure that they feel safe within the campus boundaries and outside, the college has tied up with the nearest police station WHICH IS to ensure that ample PCR vans and police personnel are present at the gates.

“We have set up CCTV cameras inside the campus and at the gates to ensure that there is no trespassing. We also keep writing to the nearest police station to ensure that there is police presence, along with our own security guards, around the campus till classes go on. On fest days or during exams, when students have to stay in campus beyond 5pm, we request extra deployment in advance,” Bhardwaj said.

Bhardwaj said that while men are allowed in the college’s annual fest, it is ensured that the entry is limited to only students of other colleges who are participants in competitions and events. During the fest days, which is usually scheduled in November or December, teachers from the college are also assigned duties to check entry of outsiders into the college campus.

M Harsha Vardhan, deputy commissioner of police (Dwarka), said that there is a “pink booth” outside the college campus to ensure the safety of women students. “There are women police officers in the pink booth. The college is also one of the important halting points for our PCR vans. We frequently interact with students to know if they are being harassed by anyone, and have been organising community programmes for them,” said the DCP.

During a visit to the college last Tuesday, this reporter saw that the lawns of the institute had become overgrown and were unlit and isolated. Portions of the college’s boundary wall along this patch are also broken, leading to the risk of outsiders unlawfully entering the campus.

Students said they avoid that part of the campus even during the daytime, fearing for their safety.

A final year student at the college, on condition of anonymity, said students at the college are also concerned about their safety outside campus. She said that during examination days and on college fest days, when students have to stay back in college till beyond 5pm, when classes end, men start gathering outside the college gates. “We have complained to teachers about these men, who stare at students and often pass lewd comments,” she said.

Bhardwaj said the college has three buses, which ferry students to their destinations. She noted that over the last few years, a bus depot and a bus stop have come up near the college, providing better connectivity to nearby Metro stations.

“We are doing everything in our capacity to make the campus safe for students. The staff takes personal care. On days when classes tend to prolong into evening, they reschedule classes and send students home so that they don’t have to stay in the college till dark,” she said.

However, Pratibha Kumari, an alumnus of the college who is currently preparing for competitive exams, summed up why students generally don’t voice their safety concerns — she noted that many of the women here are first-generation learners, for whom getting an opportunity to complete their graduation and enrolling in extracurricular activities is rare.

“Raising your voice against molestation and calling out harassers also requires some level of privilege, and students from other colleges can do so because they have the confidence that they will be heard, and measures will be taken to improve the system. But here, if a girl complains about being harassed, her family will stop her from coming to college. A sense of confidence needs to be instilled among students by the government, the college administration and even parents,” she said.