North East students of a women's university are facing ongoing sexual harassment, stalking, cat-calling and exposure to private parts by unscrupulous men and have urged the police department to ensure their safety in Saibaba Colony's area in Coimbatore.
They said that the men are mostly targeting North East students from Manipur, Assam, Mizoram, and so on based on their physical features and the students said that they unable to walk the street peacefully and independently, according to the report by The New Indian Express.
The women students say indecent behaviour by men occurs in Ramalingam Colony, Bharathi Park Road - 2, Alagesan Road, Ramana Gounder Layout, where girl students, including Northeast, reside in hostels.
When The New Indian Express visited the above areas, students showed the concerned locations near a corporation primary school and a primary health centre where they were allegedly suffered the men's actions.
One of the victims, from Manipur, told The New Indian Express that five months ago, around 2 pm, while she was walking from university to her room in Ramalingam Colony, a man around 35-years-old, who had been standing behind a tree, exposed his private parts and masturbated, calling out to her to come and see.
"As there was no one, I was panicked, so I moved away from the place immediately," she said, adding that she had faced two similar incidents involving different men in the same location in a year.
Another student told The New Indian Express that last month, while she was walking on the roadside near the primary health centre en route to a friend's hostel, a man in a car followed her, blocked her, and then exposed himself and masturbated, rolling down his car window.
She said that she left the area silently she said that if she had reacted, he might have assaulted her.
Students say that they faced similar threats in many streets in Saibaba Colony and Bharathi Park areas, though in different ways.
Talking about her friends, a student told The New Indian Express, "Last year, two students went to an eatery shop on Bharathi Park Road - 2. Two men who arrived on a bike stopped in front of them, and one of the men grabbed a student's breast on the road."
"When she shouted, they ran away from there, but the people who saw this did not offer any help. By this, she was mentally disturbed."
Another victim told The New Indian Express, "On April 20, 2024, four young men followed me by car from Raja Annamalai Road to my room in Ramalingam Colony, and I was scared."
Students say these incidents happen within a one-kilometre radius of Saibaba Colony police station. They explained that even with police patrols in the area, students still face these issues because the men who target them know the police patrol routes and timings.
When asked about not filing a police complaint, they said that a few years ago, a girl from Manipur lodged a complaint regarding an incident at the police station, but the police also enquired with the students' parent by phone.
"The shocked parent told her not to continue studies here, but she convinced parents and continued her studies anyway," they said.
They pointed out that although a few students verbally informed station about it, no steps were taken.
Students said that when informed about the issue, the Head of Departments (HoDs) in the institution, they were advised to dress appropriately and their issue was given no importance.
When contacted, a university officer told The New Indian Express that they received no complaint letters regarding this from the Heads of Departments (HoDs) or students, and assured that they would look into the matter by providing moral support.
A top woman police officer of the Saibaba Colony range told The New Indian Express that she will take necessary steps regarding this matter.
