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Hema Committee Reports: Is the POSH Act the new “Good Samaritan”

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India now stands at the cusp of becoming one of the global powerhouses, especially in South-East Asia. The real heroes behind this remarkable achievement are the working class, operating the country. However, can we only consider economic metrics as the real indicators of development or are there other factors too? With growing cases of sodomy and workplace harassment, there is a much bigger story to unfold before we truly consider ourselves as a developed nation.

The three-member Justice Hema Committee, established in 2017, unveiled its report on August 19, 2024, exposing harrowing accounts of discrimination, exploitation, and sexual harassment faced by women in the Malayalam film industry. The committee was tasked with examining issues of sexual harassment and gender inequality within the Malayalam film industry. The WCC itself was formed after a Malayalam actress publicly alleged abduction and sexual assault in Kochi. The subsequent investigation by the Kerala Police pointed to Malayalam actor Dileep as a key suspect. Following the release of the report, the spotlight has shifted, and major movie stars are now under fire this time not from film critics, but from the public. Pay scale disparity has always been one of the leading contentions of debate in Bollywood. Still, the Hema Committee Reports narrate a bigger story of the regional production houses behind the glitz and glamour of the movie screens. One of the long-lasting concerns the reports have showcased is that even after celebrating 75 years of independence and painting a distorted narration of a “Free India”, our country is actually not safe for women to work at their workplaces. In the modern-day world, the term,’ workplace’, is not confined to only flashy office buildings rather its interpretation has widened significantly and now covers a bigger ambit wherein under any circumstances, whether it is in-house official work (within the boundaries of the official office), or off-campus work, an employee who is employed to complete their designated task, at the required position deserves all the necessary amount of security they are entitled to. The POSH Act 2013 (Prevention of Sexual Harassment Against Women At Workplaces), brought forth the Vishaka guidelines, which proved to be a colossal breakthrough when we talk about workplace safety for women. But the underlying question here, even after 2013, is why there is an unprecedented increase in sexual offences against women at their workplaces, especially in metropolitan cities. 

The report uncovers a troubling reality where sexual favours have long been regarded as a gateway into the Malayalam film industry. It also sheds light on the alleged presence of a powerful clique, capable of wielding control over the entire industry, and the pervasive influence of the notorious ‘casting couch’ culture.These affect a range of women across the industry — actors, technicians, make-up artists, dancers and support staff. The report also deals with other inequities that disadvantage women in the industry, including the lack of essential facilities such as toilets, changing rooms, safe transportation, and accommodation at the shooting spots which are violative of the right to privacy; and discrimination in remuneration, and a lack of binding contractual agreements. This puts a major amount of spotlight on our existing statutory provisions and the extent of their applicability. After the introduction of the new criminal laws like BNS 2023 (Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita), many jurists and policymakers appreciated that the new laws provide many liberal interpretations to multiple sections mentioned in the erstwhile IPC (Indian Penal Code), but at the same time, the many have also critiqued that the language of these provisions is still very short-sighted, in the sense that they still recognised major offences in binary gender terms. The Hema Committee reports shedding light on a larger narrative, revealing a dual reality: while offences against women in workplaces are on the rise, offences against men also occur but often remain hidden in the shadows, overshadowed by silence. This makes the inclusion of gender-neutral provisions more urgent at present. Project 39 A, a research think tank operating under the aegis of National Law University Delhi, provided an in-depth analysis of how the language used under BNS 2023 provisions was very much orthodox. We can infer the same, through the language of the statutory provisions, given in BNS (Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita):-

Section 63 Illustrates: A man is said to commit “rape” if he— 

(a) penetrates his penis, to any extent, into the vagina, mouth, urethra or anus of a woman or makes her to do so with him or any other person; or 

(b) inserts, to any extent, any object or a part of the body, not being the penis, into the vagina, the urethra or anus of a woman or makes her to do so with him or any other person; or 

(c) manipulates any part of the body of a woman to cause penetration into the vagina, urethra, anus or any part of the body of such woman or makes her to do so with him or any other person; or 

(d) applies his mouth to the vagina, anus, or urethra of a woman or makes her do so with him or any other person,

Like many other sections dealing with the offence of sexual harassment in BNS, under section 63 Also, words like, ‘A man is said to commit “rape” if he…’ clearly showcases that the act has portrayed the capacity of committing such offence being confined to one gender only. Similarly, the POSH Act (Prevention of Sexual Harassment at Workplace), is a much-appreciated move to diminish and alleviate sexual harassment in workplaces. But at the same time, the entire act restricts harassment towards only one gender and that is females, whereas it is a very common occurrence in many corporate spaces that a lot of new male freshers employees face harassment from their senior male counterparts. This is something which needs to be worked on urgently. It is massively disappointing when premier research think tanks like Niti Aayog, don’t have a single standalone report or any official record of harassment cases against men or the queer population. On one end, these policymakers contest for the upliftment of these marginalised communities by providing them reservations in the government sectors and conducting seminars for private companies motivating them to strengthen their DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) policies but on the other end, when these policies are drafted they are restricted to only a few people, so how does it fulfil its expansive criteria of covering maximum number of people? If people are not safe at their workplaces, where else will they be then? 

This is one of the most infamous fables being narrated in the corporate spaces. We all live in a digital era and that is why the dissemination of information happens faster now, and that’s why more stories are now being narrated: –

“I’m a 22-year-old (male) employee, working at EY. I had just completed my first 6 months here and for the first time, I had felt this much awkward and uncomfortable, especially at my office. During our orientation week, I remember my team leader, who is a 45-year-old male employee, caressing me inappropriately on my upper thighs. At the moment, I couldn’t understand what was happening, later when I did I couldn’t do anything about it because I had two options, either I could lose my Jon because I’m just a fresher here or I could visit the ICC members (Internal Complaints Committee), but it is again futile.”

This is again, a story of a lot of people out there who either are unaware whether their company has an ICC (Internal Complaints Committee), or either they are not protected under its ambit. We need to have more constructive legislation in this domain if we want to bring in some change because abuse has no gender.    

Samvardhan Tiwari

Gmail: [email protected] 

Featured image credits: hrmasia

Read also: Where are you ICC? 

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Campus Central

When “Fun” Crosses the Line: Casual Harassment in College Societies

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TW// Harassment

You must have heard lately about serious cases of harassment in a few DU societies. College officials took action by banning members and even societies. While DU takes pride in providing a ragging-free campus or in taking swift, decisive measures to stop ragging, what often goes unnoticed is the casual harassment perpetrated in the name of “fun” that has turned into a “trend” among college societies.

The dancing society at Sri Aurobindo College was recently banned after some juniors complained about alleged physical and verbal harassment by the society’s president and ex-president. A similar incident occurred at the FilmSoc of Sri Venkateswara College. The college administration implemented rigorous measures in response; these incidents called the campus’s safety into doubt. While the Vice-Chancellor proudly assured the newly admitted batch of a ragging-free campus, what frequently goes unnoticed is the casual harassment that occurs under the pretence of “fun,” especially during society recruitments. 

DU takes pride in providing a ragging-free campus and strict disciplinary action against perpetrators. However, one of the most significant gaps in this “ragging-free campus” is how individuals perceive or understand “ragging.” Most people consider ragging to be a serious form of harassment, but what people need to recognise is the major problem of casual harassment, which is frequently carried out under the guise of “fun” and is becoming a trend in DU societies, particularly corporate societies.

One of the worst examples of this may be found during recruiting interviews for college societies. Most of these societies hire new members following a series of stages of selection and sorting that include form completion, tasks, and interviews. All of these things are largely carried out by core members of these societies. Interviews are an important phase in the recruitment process. These interviews serve as a breeding ground for such harassment.

I was asked to propose a flower vase during the interview.

-A first-year student at Kirori Mal College

Freshers are asked to dance, sing, propose to one another, to a senior, or to any random object during interviews by seniors. Freshers are required to perform this while being secretly recorded. The majority of these “tasks” have little to do with the skills necessary to be part of such societies. This is a recent trend that has emerged in college societies, particularly in corporate societies, where seniors engage in such behaviours intentionally or unintentionally. The majority of those involved in these activities believe it’s “mazak” (joke) and should not be taken seriously. They advise that juniors see this as a joke because it is “a way of bonding.”

 My friend, who is a core member of a society, showed me videos of them asking juniors to dance or propose to each other. She was laughing and pointing out how they made juniors do these tasks for interviews while they were being recorded. I asked her if they asked the juniors’ permission before recording. She replied,- ‘arre mazak mai kiya ye sab’. When I explained to her that this was wrong, she understood the mistake she had made.

– A third-year student

What they fail to understand is that this isn’t something that everyone is comfortable with. For juniors, mocking them, filming them, and circulating these videos without their permission can be traumatising. This type of ignorance comes with a certain level of privilege. Many DU students come from small towns and villages. It is not an easy road to DU, especially for female students. Most of these students lack the precise skill set that college societies want, but they join to learn and gain experience. Mocking and filming them could drive out these students from such settings, causing serious problems, particularly for female students. 

Because of safety concerns, most parents from smaller towns and villages do not send their daughters to DU, and discovering videos of their daughter being posted on random groups might result in them being refused access to offline campuses. For these reasons, these students are compelled to remain silent and tolerate the humiliation.

Not only that, but in certain college societies, especially film societies, “romantic or sexual relationships” are used as a deciding factor for position. Since the old core members determine the new core members in most societies, a member’s romantic or sexual contact with old core members determines whether or not they will be elevated to core positions.

All of these events or incidents are hidden from administration since most individuals do not consider them to be problematic. As a result of the seniors’ lack of understanding and awareness, college societies are becoming increasingly toxic and unsafe. These aspects also contribute to the segregation of students, with only “privileged” students dominating the majority of these areas. While awareness is crucial among seniors, it is also the responsibility of administration to look into safety issues in societies and educate juniors about these issues during orientation.

Read Also: Unveiling the Culture of Toxicity in SVC’s FilmSoc

Featured Image Credits: Nopany Institute of Management Studies

Dhruv Bhati
[email protected]

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Features

Unfolding the Dark Side of Aurobindo’s Dance-Soc ‘Crunk’

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Sri Aurobindo College’s Dance Crew ‘Crunk’ was banned a few days back by the college, bringing to light several instances of harassment and abuse perpetrated by certain members, adding to the list of toxic cultural societies within DU.

Trigger Warning: Physical Abuse, Harassment and Image of Bruises

‘Crunk’, Sri Aurobindo College’s Dance Crew, one of the most reputed societies within the Delhi Dance Circuit (DDC) was disbanded by the college recently, following the suspension of the current president, Harsh Sharma, and PR head, Srishti Arora due to several incidents of physical and mental abuse and harassment, propelled by one of the present-choreographers, Divyansh Tripathy, a recent-graduate of Aurobindo College.

Speaking to DU Beat, Mitali Goyal, a student at Aurobindo College, former Vice-President of Crunk, and a victim of the shocking incidents that occurred within the society, recounts her journey through Crunk:

 “I joined Crunk in my first year in 2021 when Divyansh Tripathy was the President. Things went quite smoothly as there were some choreographers above him in the society who held power. However, during my second year, 2022-23, things had changed. Divyansh had passed out then but was coming to give guidance to the crew. From January 2023 onwards, Divyansh would hit us brutally with thick wooden sticks we used for our performance, every time we made mistakes. Many of us developed bruises and when we spoke against it, he would initially excuse it with ‘it’ll make you stronger’ or ‘this is how things have been happening in this society’.”

As time unfolded, the physical abuse became more intense with crew members- second years as well as freshers- being hit for the smallest of mistakes like coming back late from their breaks or asking for a day of leave from practice. And all this was done under the illusion of ‘maintaining the top-track record of Crunk within DDC’. While students raised their voices against Divyansh Tripathy, they continually received threats of being removed from the crew, something they could not afford considering Crunk to be one of the top-reputed dance crews in Delhi.

 “Juniors who talked to Divyansh about leaving the society received threats like ‘if you leave this society, I’ll make sure you leave the college as well’ or ‘if I ever see you at Chhatarpur metro station, you will face consequences’” –      adds Mitali to the horrifying incidents brewing within Crunk

The role of teacher convenors within DU also plays a massive role in this incident. Teacher convenors at Crunk were also not supportive of appointing Divyansh Tripathy as the choreographer at Crunk. While they were unaware of his acts of physical and mental abuse, they were aversive of his behavior of frequently, ‘shouting and creating nuisance within the college.’

Mitali goes on to add that,

“Initially when the beating wasn’t so bad, we as a crew tried to protect Divyansh a lot from the convenors so that he could come and guide the team. But the situation got worse, girls were slapped if the color of their jeans was slightly different from the one that was required at the performance. He would beat up the crew with those wooden sticks at fests as well, injuring their feet and hands. After the performance was over, he would send a sweet apology message to excuse his behavior. I had had enough and left the society in March 2023 and complained to the teacher convenor about Divyansh and the society was eventually banned a few days ago.”

As the 2022-23 session wrapped up in May 2023, Harsh Sharma, a batchmate of Mitali was elected as the President of Crunk for the 2023-24 tenure. Besides Harsh, Srishti Arora another batchmate was elected as the PR Head. However, despite his record, both heads decided upon re-appointing Divyansh as the choreographer of Crunk.

“Recently, many freshers out of Crunk had spoken up against Divyansh forcefully flirting with the juniors despite them being uncomfortable about it. To put a stop to all of this, we went up to the principal to file an FIR and we complained of physical and verbal abuse against him with all the witnesses. We filed a FIR against Divyansh at Malviya Nagar Police Station.” –      Mitali adds to the series of events

 

Members within Crunk also raised concerns about suspending Harsh Sharma and Srishti Arora for continually associating Crunk with Divyansh Tripathy despite numerous backlashes. However, while Crunk has been disbanded from the college, Harsh and Srishti have not yet been officially suspended but their entry has been banned from college. Concluding the conversation, Mitali says that,

 

“The worst part about all of this was the fact that despite having the power to stop Divyansh from perpetrating his horrible behavior upon the fresh batch of juniors as well, Harsh and Srishti did not take any measures but encouraged all of this.”

With several conversations creeping

 up about the toxic cultural societies within DU, it is relevant to note how students are forced into this narrative of productivity at the cost of self-degradation under the fake illusion of fame and repute in society. While societies are the spine of DU life, getting too consumed with the ideology of fame and credit can take a toll on one’s college experiences, perpetuating unhealthy spaces within the campus, like Crunk.

Read Also: Unveiling the ‘Culture of Toxicity’ in SVC’s FilmSoc

Featured Image Credits:

  • Crunk 1: cover picture, Credits: Facebook Account of Crunk
  • Crunk 2: Caption: Bruises Developed by Crunk Members For Being Physically Abused with Wooden Sticks by the Choreographer, Divyansh Tripathy, Credits: Mitali Goyal (Former Member of Crunk)

 

Priyanka Mukherjee

[email protected]

 

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Campus Central

HC Suggests CBI Involvement in Gargi College Molestation Case

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The Delhi High Court suggested inclusion of CBI for further inspection in the mass molestation at Reverie, Gargi College, case. Moreover, HC has also mandated, retrieval of every visual footage captured through the CCTV camera of the College for further evidence.

On 17th of February 2020, in the wake of the Gargi College mass molestation case, new developments have been made, and it’s come up that the Delhi High Court has served a notice to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and the Delhi Police, regarding a petition which is aimed at a ‘court monitored CBI inspection’ into the claimed molestation case, which happened in the College, during the star night at Reverie, the annual cultural fest of Gargi College, earlier that week.

As detailed in the petition of advocate M.L. Sharma, retrieval of every visual footage captured through the CCTV camera of the University has to be maintained for further evidence . The court heard his petition where he claimed that nothing had been done as of yet and he further said,”On 9th February, FIR was registered by the police and a handful of people were arrested.” The court has decided 30th April 2020 for further hearing on this matter after registering the responses from the authorities.

The plea was registered on 13th February 2020, Thursday, upon facing a rejection from the Supreme Court and at a suggestion to move to the hearing at the High Court instead. This plea suggests to preserve all video and camera footage that can be retrieved through campus’s CCTV camera. The aim is to put those behind the bars who are associated with this criminal conspiracy.

On 12th February, ten people, between the age of 18 and 25, who were found complicit in the crime were detained by the police. However, the very next day witnessed their release on bail and two more further arrests.

The police claims that over 11 teams visited various sites in the National Capital Region(NCR), to look over technical details in connection with recognition of suspects related with the case. It’s said that allegedly the Delhi police filed the case upon receiving a complaint from the end of college authorities.

A case was registered at the Hauz Khas police station under the Indian Penal Code Section 452 (house-trespass after preparation for hurt, assault or wrongful restraint), 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention).

 

Feature Image Source: Anonymous

Umaima Khanam

[email protected]

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DUB News

Gargi College: Police Arrests 10 in Relation to Molestation and Security Concerns

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In response to the unfortunate events that happened in Gargi College during their annual fest, the police booked ten people and further arrested two more suspects.

On February 6, a group of men broke into the Gargi College during the college’s Annual Cultural Fest, Reverie 2020, and allegedly groped, harassed and molested the attendees, who claimed that security officials stood watching when the incidents took place. After the victims shared details of their harassment on social media, a formal investigation was started by the police and college administration.

On Wednesday, the Delhi Police arrested ten students in connection with the molestation of the girls in Gargi College’s fest. A case was registered against the ten accused at the Hauz Khas Police Station. These ten people were all students from other Delhi University (DU) colleges as well as colleges from private universities in Noida and were identified using CCTV footage from three cameras, in which they were seen climbing over the college gate and later pushing a car against it to force it open. 

The police said that they have more than eleven teams who are working on the case and coordinating with college authorities. Multiple suspects have been identified and questioned.

 However, on Thursday, a Saket court granted all ten students bail, said a police officer. “We have CCTV footage where the arrested persons were seen barging into the college premises by damaging a gate but they do not have any video or CCTV footage to establish that these persons were also involved in molestation” the officer added. He also said that nine students have recorded their statements with the police and that they are approaching more students to provide any videos or pictures that might lead them to the accused people.

A student was quoted on social media platform Twitter as “People have literally been detained for much longer periods for much lesser offences. Heck, sometimes for no offences at all.”

On the same day, the police arrested two more people in connection with the case. One of the accused arrested is a 22-year-old graduate preparing for competitive exams, while another, aged 19, is working as a tele-caller in a company in Delhi.

A notable mention in this case, is the fact that despite guidelines of the University Grants Commission (UGC), there is no Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) in place at Gargi College, to address such concerns and incidents. The students of Gargi College have boycotted classes since the incident and have been protesting for safe and secure campuses, especially for girls.

Meanwhile, the Delhi High Court declined to give an urgent hearing on a petition seeking a court-monitored Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) investigation into the incident. The plea was mentioned before a bench of Justice G S Sistani and Justice C Hari Shankar and was heard on Monday. The high court has sought a response of the Centre and the CBI on the plea.

Gargi College said that it had taken various steps to address the “anxieties and concerns” of the students and “mitigate their trauma”, like face to face interactions, and setting up a fact finding committee to recommend future course of action.

Sumit Raj, in-charge of the media cell, said students had been given time till Saturday to submit all testimonials and video/image proof to the committee.

On whether there was a deadline for the committee to submit a report, he said, “They are working day and night and they will do it soon.”

 Image Credits: The Times of India

Khush Vardhan Dembla

[email protected]

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Arts & Culture

Overcrowding and Harassment at Reverie’20, Gargi College

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Reverie’20, the annual cultural fest of Gargi College wasn’t a good experience for students who attended the star night with Jubin Nautiyal. Numerous accounts of man-handling and abuse were reported.

Trigger Warning: This article contains accounts of sexual harassment and molestation.

Reverie, the annual cultural fest of Gargi College took place from 4th February to 6th February 2020. Despite having a strict entry procedure, it witnessed various incidents of molestation and harassment.

While the first two days were relatively peaceful, the third day turned out to be more horrendous. Girls were groped, abused, and ogled at during Jubin Nautiyal’s concert on 6th February. It became impossible to even move out for safety in the huge crowd that had gathered. Gargi College, as it is known for its ethics and morals, ironically became the center of physical and verbal assault of many women.

While the entry for boys was strictly through passes and supposed to close after 4:30 pm, the gates remained open till late, and there was no checking for identification either. The security system proved to be highly incompetent as middle aged men jumped over boundaries to enter the campus. Due to overcrowding, there was no checking for passes or IDs at the gates. An anonymous source reports that the men did not break the gates initially. An admin official had consciously opened the gates to let a car enter. Once the gates were opened, a pool of men, including many non college students, flooded in. The influx continued till late. Approximately more than 5,000 individuals had accumulated on the Campus. They sat on the stalls of vendors and actively damaged the property of the college.

One of the students shared, “They broke down the gate, climbed over the walls and rammed their scooties into the crowd. The men were walking around drunk and shirtless.” Another girl said, “It was my first ever fest and I was touched inappropriately multiple times. A man just unzipped himself and kept on laughing at me. It is frightening and hard for me to accept what I witnessed in a supposedly safe girls college”.

Video Credits: Anonymous

Video Caption: The entry witnessed lack of frisking and pass checking, leading to mass entry and overcrowding.

Anguished students who went to the principal and other officials to complain, reportedly received only her apathy and insensitive comments. A girl stated, “It was scary and traumatic, and the administration refused to help.”

Several members of the Public and Media Relations and Students’ Union volunteers tried their best to help the students. They went out forming human chains and getting the girls from the crowd inside the barricades. A volunteer comments, “We literally pushed and fought the men back, stood on chairs to hold hands of girls in the crowd and helped them in front. When we were forming a human chain around the stage, a bunch of guys intentionally hurled themselves upon us and we fell down on the speakers. They began laughing and commenting on our bodies”

A lot of students took to social media to share their thoughts and personal experiences.

Image Credits: Anonymous Image Caption: An Instagram story of a student explaining the incident.
Image Credits: Anonymous
Image Caption: An Instagram story of a student explaining the incident. (Part 1)
Image Credits: Anonymous Image Caption: An Instagram story of a student explaining the incident. (Part 2)

Image Credits: Anonymous
Image Caption: An Instagram story of a student explaining the incident. (Part 2)
Image Credits: Anonymous Image Caption: An Instagram story of a student explaining the incident. (Part 3)

Image Credits: Anonymous
Image Caption: An Instagram story of a student explaining the incident. (Part 3)
Image Credits: Anonymous Image Caption: A student sharing her personal experience via Instagram.

Image Credits: Anonymous
Image Caption: A student sharing her personal experience via Instagram.

A student reported that she assisted in carrying out several women out of the ground in her hands. While two of them had panic attacks because of the harassment they faced, one was lying unconscious at the ground entry because a man had started masturbating at her. Another student was cornered by a group of middle aged drunk men who tried to molest her. On the assurance of anonymity, a second year student of Gargi College accounts, “15 girls cannot fight with 500 men alone. The teachers just sat on the sofas and saw everything unfold. When we asked them for help, we were told to fight everything ourselves.”

Anandi Sen from Kamla Nehru College, who also attended the fest, tells us, “I witnessed so many men just ‘scanning’ women from top to bottom. It is not only cheap but extremely creepy. The stares and silent smirks speak a lot. However there were some very decent people out there who ensured that you’re doing well in the jam packed crowd and ensuring that they do not brush or touch any person without their consent.”

There was a continuous pushing and passing comments in the dense crowd. Jammed networks made it worse – one couldn’t text or call in case of emergency because there were no signals. Students were stuck and couldn’t get out.

“I’ve always felt safe on campus except for the three days. The administration lets this happen trivializing our trauma year after year. We did not sign up to be told by the principal that itna unsafe feel karte ho toh mat aayakaro”, says a student of the College.

Random men stood outside the College throwing money at the girls, giving suggestive stares. Many of the girls were followed back to their PGs and metro stations by men in cars. A student reports that she was waiting outside the gate for a cab when a group of three boys adamantly kept on asking her if she wanted a ride and to just get in the car. This happened in the presence of police officers who were patrolling around.

“No amount of money you carelessly take for unknown people to enter the campus can ever pay up to my body being forced into being your property”, quotes Nilanjana.

A final year student wrote on her social media, “Gargi is our space to exist, where our voices are acknowledged not by the administration but by the wonderful women around us. However, every year, during Reverie, this one space we call our own is taken away from us and sacrificed to capitalism and hyper masculinity. We are afraid to move, we are harassed and ogled at. Men come and assert their dominance and toxic masculinity in the most brutal way possible, every year.”

In an official statement, the Students’ Union of Gargi College stated that gate duties are handled by the administrative staff wherein clear instructions were given by the Union to ensure lesser entries of only college students with a pass. Funds had been raised and made available for hiring a private security agency to ensure barricading outside the gate and competent bouncers. However nothing of this was in practice. Even the policemen weren’t as pro active as they should have been despite their repeated requests. Police vans were conveniently parked outside the college with all the mishaps taking place inside.

Image Source: Students' Union official statement.
Image Source: Students’ Union official statement.
Image Source: Students' Union official statement.
Image Source: Students’ Union official statement.

Suman, a student of the college summed up her fest experience, by stating, “Gargi you’re so much better, safe and homely without the star night”.

Feature Image Credits: Sanyukta Singh from Gargi College

Aishwaryaa Kunwar

[email protected]

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Campus Central

Harassment and Lack of Security During Fest Season: An Ongoing Issue

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Numerous victims wrote to us their incidents of harassment and molestation during fests.

The fest season has kicked off with the annual cultural fest of Gargi College, Reverie which took place from 30th January to 1st February 2019. Despite having a number of competitions, some of the best societies coming to participate, and a glorious celebrity line-up with The Local Train, DJ Zaeden and Prateek Kuhad, the fest failed on a basic ground level service of providing a safe environment.

Girls were catcalled, groped and grinded left, right and centre during not just Prateek Kuhad’s concert but during EDM night too. Samra Shahzad, a first-year student of  Gargi College reported to DU Beat that a guy stared at her when she was dancing and came up to her saying she dances well, the look on his face was suggestive and horrifying, it certainly wasn’t a compliment. Several guys then, forced her to give them her contact number and became quite aggressive when she refused which made her feel extremely unsafe during her own college fest. Her friend pushed, scolded, and glared at numberless guys who were trying to get questionably close to her while she was dancing. DU Beat members faced aggressive masculine misbehaviour first-hand. Our photographers caught some boys pushing girls near barricades on EDM night.

Not only boys, but girls were also seen misbehaving and physically harassing other girls. An anonymous source commented, “I kept count. 4 groped me, and 7 touched me inappropriately. They were like- relax, that’s the fun about swinging it both ways.” There were no volunteers,  administration or union members in the crowd to report such incidents to. The crowd outside the barricades was left unattended, at the hands of minimal security.

Security at fests is one of the most important duties of the organisers. While the entry was supposed to be closed at 5:00 pm, students reported that many people entered the college even till 6:30 pm. Even though only students of the University of Delhi, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, and Delhi Technological University were allowed, but students from other universities entered without proper checking at the gates.  A student reported that a boy asked her if she knew someone in the student union to get back ‘some of’ his confiscated weed. The fest on-lookers also saw empty liquor bottles lying around the campus.

When girls at Gargi College personally messaged their own stories of harassment to the  Student Council, the President responded by saying, “It is very unfortunate how the line of incidents went down even when we tried to make sure security is handled. We tried to manage our best but there were so much nuisance and many ill elements present in the field. In terms of checking, we shall make sure right people are caught hold of who didn’t do their work properly.” She also thanked girls who came up to tell their stories.

The irony is that the theme of Reverie was “A Brave New World: An Ode to Diversity” which worked on the principles of 3C’s, Consent, Choice and Conservation. Celebration of such empowering themes now stands ironically juxtaposed.

Students on the condition of anonymity have come forward with their stories of groping and harassment from previous year fests like Crossroads (Shri Ram College of Commerce), Tempest (Miranda House), and others.

However, the Reverie incident was only the recent episode of ongoing experiences of harassments in the college fests. On the assurance of anonymity, a final-year student of Miranda House accounts, “These incidents are so common in fests that over the years, you get used to them. There is almost never anyone to make complaints.” She goes on to add, “The fest organising team has to understand this as a major issue. Unless the weeding out of such acts is as much a priority as the fest itself, things will not get better.” Security and gate-checking should be one of the prerogatives of the teams to ensure a good time by all and for all.

 

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