Over a hundred students from Gargi College filled up the heart of the campus, if they didn't find a space in the ground floor, students lined up along the corridors of the buildings. All in protest against the incidents that took place on Februrary 6. The students are demanding, the administration file an FIR, that the police immediately launch an investigation into the issue, the institute also conduct an enquiry and the resignation of the Principal.
The College's cultural fest took a tragic turn on February 6 when drunk men infiltrated the campus, harassed, molested, stalked female students on campus. Several women took to social media to give heartrending accounts of what took place while they had all gathered to enjoy their college fest. Students claim that men shouting slogans like 'Jai Shree Ram' entered the campus through the gates while other vehicles were passing and some even climbed over the walls. Then then passed lewd comments, groped, molested the women, they allegedly even chased behind some women and insisted they give them the names of their Instagram accounts. "My experiences of last night has scarred me for life and I will definitely think thrice before going in any fest ever. Is this the atmosphere we wish to create in modern times for our women?" said one of the students on Twitter.
"Some girls ran towards washrooms. The men followed them and locked them inside," a student told PTI.
Another Twitter user said, "They were roaming around shirtless. Hundreds of such men in a ground that isn't big enough to accommodate these many people. The crowd was suffocating. There have been countless reports of women that have been harassed by men. Many groped, masturbated at, cat-called, teased, pushed, manhandled, stalked till the metro station and their PGs and what not."
Some students said that the men had been part of a pro-CAA rally taking place outside the college. One teacher from a neighbouring college said on Facebook that she had noticed the rally as well. "I was teaching in college on Thursday 6th February, 2 days before Delhi elections. When my voice in class began to be drowned by loud chants of Jai Sri Ram. The students in my class became distracted and looked outside the window, they informed me that a huge political rally was passing by in front of the road connecting our college (Kamala Nehru College) and Gargi College," she said.
"Two hours later when I finished my classes I got out of college. The entire road in front of our college was blocked. There was a truck full of men chanting 'Jai Sri Ram'. Behind the truck were posh cars like BMWs, Fortuners, and Mercedes. I saw garlanded men hanging out of the car windows....I came back home only to hear horrible news of assault in hands of a large group of 'drunken men' who entered their sacred campus and violated them," she added.
Some students also alleged that they had approached the security for help but no one came forward to help them. When they approached the Principal, they were asked why the students turned up at fest if they were so scared about their safety. It was this attitude that pushed the students to turn up in large numbers to protest today, students said. They are demanding that the Principal resign from her post immediately.
The police are looking through CCTV footage currently.
