Gargi College molestations

On 6 February 2020, at around 6:30 PM, a group of intoxicated men entered the campus of Gargi College, a women's college affiliated to University of Delhi. The incidents happened during the annual cultural fest of the college, Reverie.[1] Reportedly, the students were sexually assaulted by the mob. It was also reported that some of the men masturbated in front of the female students.[2]

An FIR was registered by the principal of Gargi College against unknown persons who allegedly assaulted students of the college on 10 February 2020, after three days of the incidents.[3] A fact-finding committee had also been created by the college administration to gather relevant information on the incidents.[4]

The Delhi Police said an inspector of Crime Against Women (CAW) Cell has been designated as the investigation officer in the case and the Additional DCP of South Delhi has been designated as the inquiry officer to investigate all aspects related to the case.[5] Police arrested 12 suspects accused in the case who are aged between 18 and 25 years of age; 10 were arrested on 12 February 2020, and 2 were arrested on 13 February 2020.[6][7] But on 14 February 2020, the initial ten accused who were arrested were released on bail.[8] Later, the police arrested five more suspects and the number of arrests raised to seventeen as of 18 February 2020.[9]

The incidents

The annual cultural fest of Gargi College was scheduled to hold from 4 to 6 February 2020. On 6 February 2020, the final day, a music concert was organised for which playback singer Jubin Nautiyal was invited to perform.[10] The crowd began to form around 3:30 pm around both gates of the campus. Since the college is a women's college, men are only allowed to enter with passes and the entry was scheduled to close after 4:30 pm. Reportedly the gates remained open for a longer time and identifications and passes were not checked for the men's entry. The security system proved to be ineffective as men were allowed to enter the campus without proper checking of IDs and entry-passes. Some reports say that the gate was not damaged at first, an administration official had opened the gates to give entry to a car. Once the gates were opened, due to overcrowding, the mass including many non-college students, rushed inside. The influx of the crowd continued for hours. It was reported that 5,000 to 10,000 individuals gathered in and around the campus.[11] According to organisers of fest, the expected crowd was around 6000; 3000 college students and around 3000 more through entry passes.[12]

According to the eye-witnesses' testimonies and the social media posts by students and staff, the mob entered around 6:30 pm. It was reported that the men were middle-aged and came in trucks.[2] Students said that those men did not appear to be students and some reports also claimed the men were returning from a pro-CAA rally who were shouting "Jai Shri Ram".[13][14][15][16][17] As male students needed ID cards and passes to enter the campus, the mob "totally wrecked" and damaged the gates and forcefully made their way into the college campus. Some of them climbed over the walls and damaged students' vehicles. The men walked around drunk and shirtless. They brought with them alcohol, cigarettes and weeds.[18] Some of them sat on the stalls of vendors and damaged the property of the college.[11] They assaulted women and chased them in the campus. One student told the NDTV that while she and her friends were standing in a group and were talking, a group of three men came and threw money at her and walked away laughing and cheering. She said she wanted to report this to the Proctor but she could not as signal jammers were installed for the fest.[19] Students also complained to the management that it was planned as some of the men carried eggs and threw them at the students.[12]

One student said the crowd was "massive" and she was unable to move out and was groped three times and had to stay inside the campus for 40 minutes. When she went out in an open space, one of the men started masturbating at her. As soon as she escaped, a first-year student ran to her and said that a group of five or six men were cornering her to molest.[20] Another student said they were groped, molested and assaulted by some men who appeared to be in their mid-thirties. Some girls ran towards washrooms but they were followed by men and locked them inside.[18] Some of the students, through social media posts, said that they were even followed to their hostels and accommodations and some were followed to metro station when they left the campus.[21]

Security lapse and police inaction

The students alleged that the administration did nothing to control the incidents. Reportedly the college had hired bouncers for security. The college security personnel were present during the incidents and when they observed the incidents, they did not intervene. One student told the NDTV that her friend, who was molested, rushed to a security guard and pleaded with him for help but the guard took no action.[19]

The Economic Times reported that the Rapid Action Force (RAF) and Delhi Police personnel were also stationed close to the entrance of the campus from where the mob entered the college. Students said the RAF and police personnel did nothing to control the unruly crowd.[18] One of the students told the NDTV that they have captured those visuals and can prove the police's inaction and college security's incompetence.

Repetition of last year's incidents

It has been found out that such incidents are not new to the campus. Similar incidents were also previously reported. According to complaints filed a year back, similar incidents of groping, shoving elbows on breast, purposefully falling on one's body, passing explicit and derogatory comments, suggestive stares, throwing alcohol on body, forcing to talk, were brought to notice, which are now being repeated again.[22]

Aftermath

The incident came to mainstream media when students posted narrations of their experiences in Instagram. Around 100 students protested outside the gate of the college and it continued as of 16 February 2020. They alleged that even after the incidents were brought to the notice of the college management, they did not take any necessary steps.[18] Since 10 February the students are sitting for dharna from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and their demands are an apology from the college principal, assurance of a safe campus and action against the perpetrators.[23][24]

Students who were harassed went to the principal and other officials to complain. The principal, Dr. Kumar was reportedly heard saying, "Why come to the fests, if you do not feel safe." A girl stated, "It was scary and traumatic, and the administration refused to help." On 7 February 2020, they took up the matter with teachers and college management. The management said they had 'taken note' of it but didn't promise the students of any action. Following this the students shared their experiences on Instagram."[18] The students will sit on an indefinite strike till all their demands are met.

A delegation of the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) met authorities of Gargi College and demanded an inquiry into the incident. The students’ body also wrote to principals of all colleges that come under University of Delhi, urging them to ensure the security of students during college festivals.[1] The students' Union blames the administration and called the Principle's statement "infuriating and appalling".[22]

Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA) also supported the students and joined the protest where students have been demanding a safe campus as multiple cases of violence and attacks were witnessed in recent times in Delhi citing JNU attack, Jamia attack along with these assaults inside a campus.[23][24]

Commissions for Women

The Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) Chief, Swati Maliwal spoke to several female students in the college about the incidents. She has issued notices to Delhi Police and Gargi College for their alleged inaction in the "molestation" of students. DCW summoned Principal Dr. Kumar, asking her to appear before the commission.[25]

The National Commission for Women (NCW) has also sent a team to investigate the incident. The NCW Chairperson, Rekha Sharma said that she had read about the molestations on social media and sent a team to talk with the principal and also to the Delhi Police.[19]

FIR registered

On 10 February 2020, after three days of the incidents, Dr. Promila Kumar, the principal of Gargi College, made a complaint at the Hauz Khas Police Station against unknown men who allegedly molested the students in the evening of 6 February 2020.[4] A FIR was registered and the case has been lodged under sections 452 (trespass), 354 (assault or criminal force intend to outrage modesty of women) and 509 (criminal intimidation) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of Indian Penal Code.[3]

Police investigation

On 10 February 2020, the DCP of South Delhi stated that a police inspector of the Crime Against Women (CAW) Cell has been designated as investigation officer in the case while the Additional DCP of South Delhi, Geetanjali Khandelwal, would oversee the investigation.[4] On the same day, a team went to the college to record statements of students, bouncers, security guards and teachers. The team also scanned footage of CCTVs which are installed at the entrance gate to get evidence for the investigation.[1]

On 12 February 2020, the Commissioner of Police (South Delhi), Atul Kumar Thakur stated that 11 teams of Delhi Police have been working on the case. Police further informed that many people are being questioned and multiple suspects have been identified. CCTV footage revealed that the accused barged into the college and broke its gate. Some accused jumped over barricades placed by the college security staff, outnumbered them and then misbehaved with the women students.[6] They examined the various technical details available and visited various sites in the Delhi NCR to identify the suspects,[26] which could lead to more arrests in future.[6]

Petition for court-monitored CBI inquiry

On 13 February 2020, a lawyer filed a PIL in the Supreme Court, seeking a court-monitored Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into the alleged molestation and sought arrest of the perpetrator behind the "planned criminal conspiracy". The petitioner told the court that it could be a "criminal conspiracy hatched by the political party" and raised concerns that the electronic evidence could be destroyed. In response, the top court said that the Delhi High Court can pass an order for the authorities to preserve the evidence. Though the court had refused to entertain the petition and directed the petitioner to move the same to the Delhi High Court.[27][28] Thus the PIL moved to the High Court, where the court has agreed to hear the petition and listed for hearing on 17 February 2020.[27]

Identification and arrests

On 12 February 2020, Delhi Police said that 30 suspects were identified and arrested ten students in connection to the alleged assaults.[29][30] The police stated that the accused are between 18 and 25 years of age and belonged to various private and public universities within Delhi.[6] A day later, police arrested two more people involved in the incidents.[31] But on the following day, on 14 February, the initial ten accused who were arrested and sent to 14 days of judicial custody, were granted bail by a Delhi court and were released on a surety of रु 10,000 each.[32] Police said the CCTV footage that they have only establishes the arrested persons "barging into the college premises by damaging a gate" but not their involvement in molestation.[8]

Later, The police arrested two on 14 February,[33] one on 16 February[34] and two on 18 February and thus seventeen individual were arrested as of 18 February.[9]

Reaction

Student's protest

Students posted descriptions of their "unpleasant experiences" in Instagram. Later, on 10 February 2020, around 100 students started a protest outside the gate of the college.[35] The next day more students joined and boycotted classes and started dharna from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.,[23][24] and this continued as of 16 February 2020.[36]

Reaction from political leaders

Chief Minister of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal condemned the misbehavior with the women students and tweeted that the incident was “extremely unfortunate” and the accused must be given stringent punishment. Deputy CM of Delhi, Manish Sisodia called the incidents as "disgusting". Sisodia mentioned in his tweet that "fests are opportunities to celebrate the cultural diversity" but "anti-social elements saw this fest as another chance to inflict harassment and violence on students".[37] BJP chief, Manoj Tiwari tweeted that the incident is highly condemnable and culprits should be apprehended immediately.[1]

Delhi Congress president, Subhash Chopra slammed the police and the government for “failing” to protect women. He said that he was "anguished by the Gargi college incident". He tweeted that it is "sorrowful that the girl students are not safe in their own college in the national capital". He also mentioned in his tweet that "highly shameful that Delhi Police silently watched the atrocities against women." as Rapid Action Force and Delhi Police personnel did nothing to control the unruly crowd.[1][18]

During the Question Hour of Lok Sabha in response to fellow MP, Gaurav Gogoi's question, HRD Minister of India, Ramesh Pokhriyal said the perpetrators were from outside and were not students and said that the college administration was advised to take action into the matter.[38]

See also

References
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