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Two SOL students were attacked, harassed, and abused during the peaceful protests held in front of the SOL building on 18th February 2022. Read to find out more.


On the second day of the reopening of Delhi University colleges, that is, 18th February 2022, SOL (School of Open Learning) students along with Krantikari Yuva Sangathan (KYS) members staged a protest outside the SOL building in the North campus. 

 

The protestors raised their concern about the various problems that the SOL students were facing such as a lack of clarity on the status of the reopening of physical classes (academic counselling session), distribution of incomplete study material to first-year students, and a general lack of apathy of the administration towards SOL students. They also raised their concerns regarding the offline mode of examination for the fourth and sixth-semester students and urged the administration to reconsider the decision, taking into account the different backgrounds the students belong to and the difficulty they might face in coming to Delhi at such short notice.

These batches of students would be taking examinations in the physical mode for the first time without any grounding. People from across the country are enrolled in SOL and would find it impossible to come to Delhi for a physical mode examination. As such examinations should be conducted in Open Book Examination (OBE) format, and both online and physical modes should be offered,” demanded the press statement.

This is not the first time that SOL students are facing such a problem of lack of study material or ignorance of their concerns and demands by the administration. A similar situation arose during the December examinations when students demanded a postponement of exams due to a lack of printed resources and study materials.

 

This allegedly peaceful protest took a turn for the worse when, upon being called in, two students went into the SOL principal’s office to submit a memorandum of the protestor’s demands and were subsequently locked in, harassed, and beaten violently. Both parties ended up filing FIRs in the Maurice Nagar police station.

According to this report, two SOL students, Jatin and Bhim, were called into the SOL premises to meet the principal, Uma Shankar Pandey. They were accompanied by a police constable Vinay. Upon entering the premises, SOL guards allegedly locked the gates and started slapping and kicking the students without provocation. They were then taken into the principal’s office where 20 people gathered and started beating, harassing, and verbally abusing the students in front of the principal as well as the constable. After some time, they were allowed to leave the principal’s office but the gates were still closed. The students had to climb over the gate to escape and even called the police. 

One of the students, Jatin, also sustained an injury in the form of a fracture in his arm and had to be taken to Hindu Rao hospital where medical tests were done and MLC report was obtained.

They were pulling my jacket, my hair and constantly saying abusive things right in front of the principal who was just watching. The police constable was trying to defend us but he was outnumbered. They also snatched our mobile and said they will fail us in exam,” 

 

In his complaint to the police, SOL Officiating Principal Uma Shankar Pandey said, 

Some agitators entered the SOL building and misbehaved with female security guards and manhandled staff of SOL…. they threatened the SOL staff, and provoked other agitators to enter the premises…” 

He also claimed that “stern action” must be taken against them and tried to justify the SOL administration’s actions.

 

Following this, KYS demanded an immediate dismissal of the SOL principal as well as a public apology from the SOL as well as Delhi University in a press release dated 18.02.22.

KYS demands that DU must immediately sack the SOL Principal for his criminal conduct. DU and SOL must issue a public apology for this condemnable incident and adopt a zero-tolerance policy to ensure such an incident does not occur ever again. KYS condemns these dastardly attacks on students and pledges to intensify its movement for the educational rights of deprived and marginalised students,” stated Bhim Kumar, a member of KYS, through the medium of the press release.

 

A similar stand was also taken by Abha Dev Habib, secretary, Democratic Teacher’s Front (DTF), condemning this attack on the students and demanding an inquiry into the same.

The fact that students were violently attacked in the Principal’s Office with the direct involvement of SOL Officials is extremely unfortunate. DTF condemns this criminal attack on students in no uncertain terms. Peaceful protests and demands of students cannot be handled in this manner. When there is zero tolerance for physical assault on students, are the SOL students being treated in this manner as they come from marginalized backgrounds? University should set up an inquiry into the incidence and take action.”

 

Read also ‘DU Reopening Protests: Plan of Action Day 3

Feature Image Credits: DU Beat Archives

 

Manasvi Kadian

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In a recent unfolding of  events, where women safety has escalated as an issue, anLady Sri Ram College for Women (LSR) student was allegedly catcalled near the College campus where other cases of harassment have also been reported.

On 19th February, a student of the Hindi Department of Lady Sri Ram College for Women (LSR), was reportedly catcalled by an unknown man outside the college, adjacent to the back park area  where the Hindi Debating Society of the college: ‘Vaktritva,’ organised their annual parliamentary debating event.

Around 2pm on the same day, the student reported the account of this incident to the Debating Society members and coordinators. She reported of the alleged harasser being under consumption of alcohol or other related substance when he started to direct lewd songs and ogling eyes towards her right outside the campus premise as she was heading towards her PG. However, there are qualms over how they approached the incident.

The Students’ Union of Hindi Department, issued a statement by out rightly calling out the the Hindi Debating Society for being insensitive to the student who faced harassment. They accused the society of showing obtuse actions and claimed that they tried to tone down the incident and normalise it in the garb of concealment by saying things like,” it happens,” “please don’t report it to the cops and create a scene,” “take this with the Women’s Development Cell (WDC)”,  and related things when they should have approached things more boldly. The union further questioned the society asking, “what’s even the point of debating inside the huts while one of your own members faces harassment?”

These accusations were retaliated by the Society in their ‘statement of apology,’ where they acknowledged their inadequacy in helping the fellow student and further denied the statements made by the Department Union against them.

They said,”Upon knowing the incident at least five members of the society rushed to the park but the accused had already fled.”

The Society said that they were a victim of subjugation of administration where they themselves had to resort to conduct their event at an unsafe place upon being denied the permission one day prior to the event. They claimed that they tried in their best potential to reach out to this issue but their outreach was highly inadequate.

To counter the accusations they also said, “At no point did we try to normalise harassment but even if that came out from our behaviour we are sorry, it happened unintentionally.”

They further added,”As far as the calling of police is concerned, we as fellow students have no jurisdiction over a public space that is the back park.”

The Debating Society hinted towards a larger concern, it said,”it should be clear that there is no clear redressal mechanism for sexual harassment that has been happening at LSR Back Gate for years and in that all the women of LSR share pain and suffering. The demand and responsibility should therefore, be directed towards the our administration and institution that has rendered all of us in such a hostile position where it was unfortunate that this one particular student suffered what she did.”

In such unfortunate events where a student was catcalled and made uncomfortable in broad daylight, Police reports were also not filed since they put administration’s name in a bad light. In all of this fiasco there’s no one to fix responsibility to and take suitable actions to change the status quo of ignorance.

Feature Image Credits: DU Beat

Umaima Khanam

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Students of Gargi College continue to demonstrate their agitation against the incidents of molestation and callous security at Reverie 2020 to demand answers from the College’s administration.

On 11th January, the student body of Gargi College, Delhi University gathered at 10 a.m. near the main arc for a dissent demonstration against the abominable administration and sexual harassment incidents that occurred at the College’s annual cultural fest, Reverie on 6th February 2020. The collective complaints and demands were read to all the students at 10:10 a.m. By 10:30 a.m. the entire mobilisation moved to the arts quad along with the administration and the principal and at 10:45 a.m. the administration expressed categorical support after listening to the demands and complaints. At 11 a.m, the administration and the principal demanded an hour to formulate a way for meeting our demands.

The student body in the meantime was addressed by the DCW (Delhi Commission for Women). The authorities of the DCW expressed how they’ll send an official notice to the administration of Gargi College and to the Police present on campus on 6th February. At 12:30 a.m. the staff council and administration addressed the students again wherein the student body was told that a fact-finding committee would be set up which will comprise of an elected teacher and student from each department that brings it to a total of 34 member team.

In a press release, it is stated that “The committee will work independently of the administration and all other forms of authorities in college. Further questions and grievances were addressed to the entire administration and the principal were a written apology, a minimum-security plan, a press release and written answers were demanded. The administration has been granted two days to get back to the student body with the demands which also includes the breakdown of the entire budget of reverie with special emphasis to the budget allocated to the security.” Each of the 17 departments is to have a representation in the “fact-finding” committee comprising of one teacher and one student voted by the students, with each group looking after different issues, particularly the budget issued and its distribution for the event. Another group of the committee would be looking into the harassment complaints. The committee will be given a week to collect the evidence, the representatives chosen after the popular vote would be open to listening to all students and their personal testimonies without bias.

The students of the college have been observing dissent demonstrations to protest against the lax security and harassment cases that occurred during this year’s Reverie. The Principal of the college, present at the meeting, issued a statement claiming that she condemns the incidents that occurred at the fest, and that a fact-finding committee will be set up which will collect the evidence and the complaints by the students and get them reported to the police if the student desires, as well as keeping open the option of the students reporting directly to the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) of the college with their details remaining confidential. Students claimed that when they had reported harassment incidents to the Principal during Reverie, they had been allegedly urged to “not come to these events if they felt unsafe.”

Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA) have also heavily condemned the mass sexual assault and harassment of women students in Gargi College. In a press release, Rajib Ray, President, DUTA, stated, “The DUTA condemns the perpetrators of mass sexual assault and abuse of women in Gargi College, as has been reported to have taken place through the afternoon and evening of February 6, 2020. The DUTA is shocked that the breaches of the peace, violation of law and order and abuse of female students in their own campus has been acknowledged so late, after over three days of its having taken place. Criminal unwillingness on the part of the officiating college principal to accept security lapses and act swiftly against the riotous men who forced entry into the college campus,  molested and abused women students in the presence of the Delhi Police, is to blame for this unacceptable delay.”

On the second day of the strike, 12th February, the police started investigating the case and have set up a base in the College itself. The students also took part in a General Body Meeting to formulate a high functioning Fact Finding Committee (FFC), that would investigate the events prior to Reverie, the events that happened during Reverie, and specific complaints against the administration of the College, and the organizing committee of Reverie 2020. The FFC shall become fully functional on 13th February, and has to submit its report by the 15th February 2020.

However, the students shall go into the third day of strike tomorrow, to seek a written apology, the formulation of the Internal Complaints Committee, and seek the budget from the Principal for Reverie 2019, and 2020.

Feature Image Credits: Sanyukta Singh for Gargi College

Shreya Juyal

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On August 16,2017 All India Students’ Association (AISA) President, Kawalpreet Kaur  filed an FIR against Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) members claiming charges of  physical restraint and verbal abuse , while she had gone to Satyawati College for some academic work.  Ms Kaur alleged in her complaint that ABVP members tried to bully her and called her an ‘anti-national slut’. She also proclaimed that the Principal of Satyawati College helped her to reach out to the police.

In a series of events following this incident,  Satyawati College Principal on August 21,2017 in a press release claimed the incident as hoax and even wrote to the SHO, ACP and DCP of Bharat Nagar Police Station mentioning that all charges put by Ms. Kaur, who is an outsider, are fake. In an official statement to DU Beat by the Media Convenor of ABVP, Mr. Saket Bahuguna  condemned the systematic propaganda and slander campaign against ABVP by some communists. The statement read as,” Repeatedly, Ms. Kaur and her comrades have tried to spread canards about our organization to get some publicity , especially after she and her Naxal- supporting  organisation was rejected by the student community in the DUSU elections.”

ABVP expressed shame on the  half- heard defamation charges without any solid evidence and their publicity by some media groups without knowing the entire reality from the students or authorities of Satyawati College . Keeping the upcoming Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) elections in mind,  AISA tried to spread slander and lies against ABVP and maligned its members’ image as claimed by the organisation of ABVP.

AISA in a press release on August 23, 2017, following these remarks carried out a signature campaign in support of Kawalpreet Kaur . Ms Kaur said, “It is  really saddening  that the principal has given into the pressure of ABVP. Such a statement by the Principal attempts to derail the entire case. Also , we have the call recordings and many messages that were sent to my friends in Satyawati  to persuade me to take the case back as well as the ‘receiving’ which was duly claimed by the Principal at the time of the incident. Thus , the Principal’s recent statement of denial stands false.” Niraj Kumar, State Secretary of Delhi State AISA said,” Why is the Principal shielding the culprits? It is this shielding that gives the audacity to harass women. We demand that the police should ensure a proper enquiry in the matter.”

The Principal in his statement mentions that the college opinion  was not taken into account by  the police department which is eagerly supported by the ABVP as well.  It is all up to the police  now to follow the due process of law and testify the truth as the matters have heated up now.

Image Credits: Facebook

Oorja Tapan

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