Gargi girl’s college molestation : Arvjnd kejriwal says “won’t tolerate”
Delhi Police have taken suo moto cognisance of the alleged sexual assault and initiated a probe that will be headed ld news agency ANI a formal complaint hadd yet to be filed.
New Delhi:
Three days after an unruly mob of around 35 men, some of whom were reportedly drunk, barged onto the campus of an Delhi’s Gargi college – an all-girl’s institution – allegedly shouted “Jai Shri Ram” slogans and sexually assaulted students, the National Commission for Women (NCW) has sent a team to investigate the incident.
“I read on social media that girls were molested and no step taken by the administration. I have sent a team. They wanted to talk (to the) principal and also to talk to police. I can only react after they talk to them,” Rekha Sharma, the NCW Chairperson, said.
Delhi Police have begun a probe into an incident that took place as students celebrated a cultural festival on February 6. However, Atul Thakur, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South Delhi), told news agency ANI a formal complaint had yet to be filed.
A senior woman officer – Geetanjali Khandelwal, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police – will lead the inquiry, according to news agency ANI, which also said cops were scanning footage from CCTV cameras and speaking to students to ascertain facts.
Over 100 students, furious over the “complete lapse of security” at one of the city’s more prestigious institutions, took out a protest outside college gates this morning. Speaking to NDTV, one of the students described her horrific experience.
According to eye-witness accounts and social media posts by students and staff, at around 6:30 pm on February 6, packs of unruly, drunk men forced their way in and assaulted women, chasing them all over the campus
“The administration did nothing to control it. The RAF (Rapid Action Force) personnel were standing right across the campus. They did absolutely nothing. We have visuals,” another student told NDTV on condition of anonymity.
“The crowd was so massive we couldn’t move out. I was groped three times and had to stay in for 40 minutes. When I did go out to an empty space… a man started masturbating at me. As soon as I escaped from that place a first-year student came to me running saying a group 5-6 men were cornering her,” she added.
According to news agency IANS the men were part of a pro-citizenship law rally.
The shocking incident, which took place two days before Delhi voted in bitterly-contested Assembly elections, has also drawn criticism from the opposition.
Congress leader Shivani Chopra, who contested Saturday’s poll from the Kalkaji constituency, hit out at Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his AAP as well as the BJP.
“They are not letting me enter the campus. It is a shameful incident. Chief Minister of Delhi should come out and stand in solidarity with the students. In fact, Home Minister Amit Shah should also come out and take cognizance of the law and order situation,” Ms Chopra said.
Responding to the incident in parliament today, Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal said the alleged sexual assault on Gargi College students was “not right” and said the college administration had been asked to look into the matter.
