New Delhi: Students of Lady Shri Ram College for Women in Delhi University chanted “Azadi” as they took out a solidarity March on Wednesday, September 23, following the alleged gangrape of a 17-year-old at Aastha Kunj Park, barely two kilometres from the college.
The all-women march saw students raising slogans and carrying posters highlighting the need for better security infrastructure around the college and its adjoining areas, as yet another alleged rape incident brought the longstanding demand for women’s safety into focus. The students said the demonstration was held to reclaim spaces used every day and show that such incidents would not dictate where or when women could move around.
During the demonstration, posters displayed sharp messages like “Raaton par bhi haq hai humko (We have a right to the night too), “Moral policing women will not stop rape,” and “A woman’s body isn’t a battleground for your power.”
Many had their faces covered as they raised slogans “Meri mukti, teri mukti, nari mukti, zindabad” (My freedom, your freedom, women’s freedom, long live!) and “Azaadi” while marching from Astha Kunj Park amid heavy police presence.
Students flag obscene behaviour of men loitering in streets near college
During the march, protesters raised concerns about inadequate lighting, lack of regular patrolling, insufficient CCTV surveillance, and a dysfunctional pink booth in the area. Several students said they have seen men masturbating and engaging in obscene sexual behaviour throughout the stretch near the back gate of the college leading towards the park. Some men also loiter around, leaving women feeling significantly unsafe and uncomfortable, they said.
“This could be any of us,” said one protester. Another student said the college authorities had not informed them of the incident before they reached the college on Tuesday, September 22.
Students alleged that incidents of stalking and harassment near the college’s back gate had been reported to the administration repeatedly, but security concerns remained unaddressed.
Amid calls for protest and the solidarity March, the LSR college administration had cancelled regular classes and shifted them online over concerns raised by students over their safety in the area.
Delhi Police meets college principal
Senior Delhi Police officers, including Joint Commissioner of Police (Southern Range) Vijay Kumar, visited the college on Wednesday and held a meeting with the principal.
During the meeting, police assured the college administration that their presence in and around the campus would be increased and that immediate response would be provided in case of any emergency, the officials said.
As part of the security arrangements, Delhi Police personnel have been deployed outside the college campus, while women police personnel and women PCR vans have also been stationed in the area, the officials said.
A pink booth — a women-focused police assistance kiosk — has also been made functional in the area since September 17, they added.
(With inputs from PTI)
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