Students at the university are protesting to demand better security after a student was harassed on campus.
After a 20-year-old student was allegedly molested on the IIT-BHU campus in Varanasi on Thursday, November 2., students of the university demonstrated in hundreds to protest against the lack of safety and adequate security measures.
According to the student’s complaint, the incident happened when she stepped out for a walk with her friend near her hostel at around 1:30 a.m. on Thursday. The two were ambushed by three men on a motorcycle, who then separated them and dragged the girl away. The men then forcibly kissed her, disrobed her, and took pictures and videos of her. She has stated that when she screamed for help, they threatened to kill her and secured her phone number before they let her go. An FIR was lodged against three unidentified people, and the police said they are conducting a probe and working jointly with the university administration to ensure safety on campus.
During the protests against this incident, students demanded that the administration take steps to restrict the entry of outside vehicles inside the campus, as it is suspected that people from outside the campus were involved in the harassment. In addition, they demanded better CCTV infrastructure and immediate legal action for such incidents.
According to the IIT-BHU Students’ Parliament, safety has always been a concern on campus, as this is not the first time such an incident has occurred. They claim that the administration has failed to take adequate action in the past. A similar incident shook up the university students in 2017, and another took place in February of this year.
The BHU Registrar has said in a statement that security has been tightened and more CCTVs will be installed on campus soon. The movement of students will also be restricted between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.
The institute also said it would hold meetings with the Ministry of Education to discuss the creation of a closed campus and the construction of new boundary walls. A report on the same is to be submitted within a week. The security of the institute will now be jointly monitored by the District Police and IIT-BHU personnel at all seven gates to ensure necessary action is taken in time.
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Featured image source: NDTV
Arshiya Pathania
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