Four days after the atrocious incident that took place in the Delhi’s all girl educational institution, Chief Minister, Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi has broken his silence.
Three days ago, a mob of over 30 men barged into the campus of Gargi College and sexually assaulted the students. Some of those men are said to be drunk.
Today, Arvind Kejriwal said the Delhi government will “not tolerate misbehaviour with our daughters” and demanded that the culprits should be awarded the “hardest possible” punishment.
Kejriwal tweeted, “What happened with our daughters in the Gargi College’s campus is regretful and disappointing. This will not be tolerated at all. All the men should be caught and be awarded the harshest punishment. Additional, it should be ensured that students should be safe.” In Hindi.
गार्गी कॉलेज में हमारी बेटियों के साथ बद्सलूकी बेहद दुखद और निराशाजनक है। इसे क़तई बर्दाश्त नहीं किया जा सकता। दोषियों को पकड़ कर सख्त से सख्त सजा मिलनी चाहिए। और ये सुनिश्चित हो कि हमारे कॉलेजों में पढ़ने वाले बच्चे सुरक्षित हों।
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) February 10, 2020
Kejriwal, who, according to the exit polls, is said to return to power in the national capital following the Saturday’s Delhi Assembly Elections promised that women in Delhi will feel safe.
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On the other hand, the Delhi Police has taken Suo Moto Cognisance of the incident of sexual assault in the Gargi College and has begun the probe. The incident took place when the college was celebrating a cultural fest on the 6th of February 2020.
Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police, Geetanjali Khandelwal will be leading the inquiry said Deputy Commissioner of Police (South Delhi), Atul Thakur. The police personnel will rely on the eyewitnesses and the footage from the CCTV in the campus and around the area.
A team has been sent by the National Commission for Women (NCW) to investigate the incident taken place in the Gargi College, Delhi.
Chairperson, NCW, Rekha Sharma said “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 the police. I can only react after they talk to them”.
Over 100 students are showing anger on the “complete lapse of security” at the cultural event in one of Delhi’s most respected educational institutions. These students carried out an protest. within the boundaries of the campus.
While speaking to one of the leading news agency in India, NDTV, a student described what she went through, “My friends and I were standing in a group… another friend was taking our photo when a group of three men came and threw money at her and walked away laughing and cheering. When I wanted to report it to the Proctor I really could not. There was no signal on our phones. Something happened to us and we felt so powerless”.
Another student said that the security arrangements were “totally wrecked” as the students were needed ID Cards and others were supposed to have a pass to enter the campus. The student added that the gates were damaged as the mob pushed their way into campus.
Going by the eyewitness accounts and the posts of students and staff members on social media, the mob forced their way into the college campus at around 6:30 PM on the 6th of February 2020 and the men not only chased the students in the campus but also sexually assaulted them.
Another student said “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”. She added, “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”.
The horrendous incident that took place a mere 2 days before the Delhi’s Assembly Elections drew criticism from the people sitting in the opposition. Shivani Chopra, Congress leader who was contesting from Kalkaji constituency went all out on Delhi’s Chief Minister and BJP alike.
She said, “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”. Responding to the Gargi College incident, Ramesh Pokhriyal, Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister of India said that the sexual assault on the students of the Gargi College is condemnable and the college administration has been directed to look into the incident.
