Women complain of molestation at India Gate

Of the 42 calls on Sunday reporting molestation of women, more than 80% were made from India Gate, Jatin Anand and Darpan Singh report.

The lumpen elements who, according to Delhi police, hijacked the peaceful show of strength at India Gate and “forced” a baton charge on protesters on Sunday allegedly indulged in en masse molestation amid heavy police deployment in addition to inciting a riot.

HT Image

Of the 42 calls on Sunday reporting molestation of women, more than 80% were made from India Gate.

“Between midnight on Saturday and Sunday, 42 calls of molestation were received. As many as 35 of them were made by people from the vicinity of India Gate," said an officer.

The police said all of the complaints were “actionable”, with PCR staff being able to locate the victims, note down the nature of their complaint and suggest further action by visiting the local police station. The force claimed their argument that the protest had been taken over by the unruly had been vindicated.

Several female protesters, who claimed to have been victimised by these “anti-social” elements, ironically, agreed with the police’s assertion.

“The hypocrisy of it is appalling,” exclaimed Antim, 22, an engineering student at the ITS Engineering College in Greater Noida. “They come here in the garb of protesting for a brutally battered rape victim and indulge in this kind of behaviour?”

“I got drenched after the police turned water cannons on our group and this drunk man fell on me and offered to ‘heat me up’. What nonsense!” said a student of Gargi College.