Two Delhi University students have alleged being harassed in the North Campus area. On Monday, at around 9pm, when the female students boarded an e-rickshaw to travel from Patel Chowk towards their PG accommodation, within North Campus, they were shocked to see two men follow them on a motorcycle. According to their Police complaint, the two men who were following them passed inappropriate comments and allegedly called up their friends. Soon, four to five motorcycles were following the e-rickshaw that ferried the two female students towards Malka Ganj. During this time, the harassment continued.
The incident has left not just the two female students, but many others on campus feeling uneasy about their daily commute late night. “Most of us who live in PGs are from outside Delhi, and getting to know such cases causes anxiety among us as well as our family members who are living far away,” says Kritika, a second-year student at Daulat Ram College, who lives in a PG near North Campus. She adds, “Through social media, such news travels faster. So though I chose to not tell my parents about this incident, they called me frantically telling me to stay safe and not leave home at night.”
With much of the recent conversation, ahead of the upcoming Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) election, centred on safety of female students on campus, this incident has sparked many questions. Aryan Maan, president, DUSU also spoke about this issue on a recent podcast, and confirms us though such an incident is one off and has occurred after a long time, swift action will be taken to improve safety measures. He says, “The moment this incident came to our notice, we reported the accused to the police, and they were taken into custody. We have been focusing a lot on women’s safety on campus, and it has been a long time since such an incident occurred. The accused were not DU students, but students from other colleges. But, their presence on campus especially during the ongoing DUSU election season, is an issue that we are taking seriously as quick action is one of the ways to ensure that such incidents do not happen again!”
Sanya Mitra, a first year student of Kirori Mal College, adds that meanwhile the concerns that the incident has raised, extend beyond the incident itself. She adds, “It makes you think twice about travelling alone, especially at night. This is not an isolated or unfamiliar stretch for us. Patel Chowk, Malka Ganj and other North Campus areas are on the routes that female students take almost every other day to travel between their college, the Metro, and their PGs. So when a group can allegedly follow two girls across this entire stretch, it makes me question how safe is it for me? Now I will constantly keep looking behind, wondering if anyone is following or will stop going out after dark.”
{{/usCountry}}Sanya Mitra, a first year student of Kirori Mal College, adds that meanwhile the concerns that the incident has raised, extend beyond the incident itself. She adds, “It makes you think twice about travelling alone, especially at night. This is not an isolated or unfamiliar stretch for us. Patel Chowk, Malka Ganj and other North Campus areas are on the routes that female students take almost every other day to travel between their college, the Metro, and their PGs. So when a group can allegedly follow two girls across this entire stretch, it makes me question how safe is it for me? Now I will constantly keep looking behind, wondering if anyone is following or will stop going out after dark.”
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