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The fest season has begun and so have the stories of chaos, harassment, and safety issues at these prestigious cultural festivals. Let’s see what went down at Tempest 2019.

Tempest 2019, the three-day Annual Cultural Festival of Miranda House took place from 14th to 16th February 2019. Reports of chaos, security breach, rape threats, and harassment arose on Day 2 and Day 3 of the fest.

On 15th February, a message from the Women’s Development Cell (WDC) was circulated for the girls to be safe as allegedly, some members of the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) had barged into the college campus, and were acting very violently and threatening people with rape threats. An anonymous source from the WDC security team shared her experience, stating that on the same day she noticed something weird going on around the entrance to the barricaded women’s area. When she went to investigate, she saw a few men who were trying to intimidate volunteers into letting them enter. When she asked them to leave, they retorted, saying, Aapko pata hai hum kaun hain? Humare saath Shakti Singh hai.” (Do you know who we are? Shakti Singh, the President, DUSU, is with us.)

When these people were blocked and not allowed to enter, they retreated but only with threats like “we’ll come back soon- just wait and watch” and “aaj 20 log laaye hai, kal 500 laayenge” (Today we have brought 20 people, tomorrow we’ll bring 500). She also added- “This kind of hooliganism has increased in the campus. There were men from Hindu College who had infiltrated the crowd, asking about the people who had taken part in the V-Tree protest the previous day.”

Anoushka Sharma, a second-year student from Delhi School of Journalism and a Copy-editor at DU Beat, also shared her horror story from Day 3 at Tempest. She stated that while entering the college on the third day of the fest, she was trying to show her media pass at the entrance to enter when a guy pushed her and said in a very rude tone- “Madam ji, kya kar rahi hain?” (Madam, what are you doing?). At first, she ignored but he was persistent and kept on insisting. When she told him about the media passes, he again said in a harsh tone- “Tameez nahi hai baat karne ki? (Don’t you have any manners?). Seconds later, the guards opened the door and at that moment people started touching and groping her. She quoted, “The lady security guard had to hold me since I almost fell on the ground, and she told me to go inside through the lawns since there was less crowd there.”

Talking about the ruckus created at the gates, the Head of Security from Miranda House’s WDC told DU Beat that due to the crowd build-up at the gate, the Principal had to open the gate when 50 to 100 unidentified individuals without passes barged inside the college. She also added that men came up to her, and to the Vice-President of the Student Union to threaten them by quoting their support from DUSU. When they were refused entry, they said, “Agli baar toh fest hi nahin hoga.(We won’t let the fest happen next time.” She added- “There was a sense of fear in the environment and the girls were uncomfortable by the presence of such people.”

When DU Beat contacted the Vice-President, she denied the story, saying that she personally didn’t hear any comments; however, due to the rush outside the gates, she talked to Shakti Singh who said that none of his people were involved in any such threats and misbehaviour. She also stated, “The passes said entry till 2 P.M. and people didn’t follow that which created more ruckus but actions were taken and things went smoothly later.”

These incidents are examples which show unsafe environment at fests. Even in a fest regulated with passes, unidentified crowd entered in mobs through the front gates and created a ruckus, not only threatening the attendees but also the organisers and volunteers. These prestigious annual cultural fests are the platform of growth and inclusivity which have now unfortunately become spaces for assault and harassment.

Feature Image Credits: Namrata Randhawa

Sakshi Arora

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A fire broke out in the Chemistry lab of B-block in Hansraj. The cause of the fire has been subject to multiple interpretations. No injuries have been reported so far.

The chemistry lab in Hansraj College’s B block caught fire today.The incident occurred between 12 noon and 1 pm, in the newly constructed Dr. Rathi’s lab located in the B Block of the college.With scattered debris, pungent fumes, ashes and some shards of broken glass, Dr Brijesh Rathi, a professor of Chemistry claimed that the situation was immediately under control with the help of vigilance of the students present. He also added that the disaster was averted because of the solvent chamber being outside the lab.

The alleged cause of the fire was electric sparks from a wire which resulted in a plastic tube burning, however multiple narratives have come up with some claiming a short circuit in the lab.A first year Chemistry student whose class was adjacent to the lab says, “We heard screams alerting others of the fire, we saw the fumes and were evacuated immediately from our classrooms”.Fire trucks and ambulances rushed to the scene immediately. No injuries have been reported so far. The students were reportedly outside the lab when the mishap occurred.

Witnesses present at the time of the incident declined to comment.The administration has remained silent and brushed it off as ‘another science experiment gone wrong’ showing very little signs of taking a firm stance.Dr. Rama Sharma, principal of the college applauded the students and the non-teaching staff for their quick actions. “We have had fire safety trainings regularly, the most recent one was in the previous semester. Even our non-teaching staff has been trained for fire safety. We plan on making fire safety programs mandatory for students in the future.”

Our correspondent was repeatedly declined permission to take pictures of the damaged lab citing toxic fumes but given the discrepancies related to the cause of the fire and the administration soft response, this raises the questions, are our colleges really fire-safe? Do they have a valid NOC? Are there adequate number of fire extinguishers in the colleges of Delhi University?Is our infrastructure safe?

Jaishree Kumar
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In light of recent events, safety in North Campus has been proven fragile. But even the failure in this test has not incentivized the necessary authoritative action.

 

Delhi University’s North Campus is famously known for its prestigious colleges. Some of the best colleges in the country are all smattered in close vicinity to each other. But in recent months, the same area has come to be known for its increasing crime rates.

 

On 2nd December, a tragic incident happened in the campus at nightfall. The incident started doing rounds on social media in a couple of days, to the utter disbelief and outrage of all students and residents of North Campus alike.

In the Facebook post, shared by multiple people, the following message was broadcasted:
“With utmost shock and anger, we inform you that our dear friend, Sandipan, a PhD student of Delhi School of Economics, was attacked by a couple of phone snatchers with knife late night on 2nd December. He was stabbed multiple times and is now admitted at Hindu Rao Hospital. The incident happened on the Naala bridge at Patel Chest. This is just opposite the Maurice Nagar Police Station.”
Pointedly, the area in question is a frequently visited place by all students in North Campus. A huge number of students reside around the area and so, the famous food outlets of North Campus are accessed via the same road. However, the incident raises questions on the presumed comforts and safety of the area, that the students expect before they take up expensive lodgings there.

 

The post continued, “Despite giving the number of the bike to the police, no action has yet been taken. The incident and the police inaction is telling of how dangerous our own campus has become.”

 

Multiple cases of phones being snatched have been reported by students. Within the first week of the commencement of college, a student of Hindu College lost her phone to the self-same phone-snatchers. Another student of Hindu College, on her way back from Vishwavidyalaya Metro Station to her PG in Shakti Nagar said, “I was sitting in a rickshaw with three other friends. The rickshaw came to a halt in front of Daulat Ram College where two men on a bike rushed past us and took away my phone.” The incident was traumatic for her to recount later.

 

As reported by DU Beat earlier, Aashish Jain, a student of Kirori Mal College (KMC) recalled the incident when his mobile phone was snatched. “I was right outside the college gate when I was on a call,” he said, adding that he hadn’t realised that people on motorbikes were keeping a watchful eye on him. “I disconnected the call, and was going to put the phone in my pocket when one of them snatched it from my hand and ran off on their motorbike.”

 

Unfortunately, safety is not a concern because of these material losses alone. Safety of girls is as always only an agenda in the pompous manifestos of all political parties. A student recalled being stalked by a group of men in their car when she was returning from her college one evening. Such stories are far from uncommon. It is sad that we should demand for gender-specific safety in such an eminent area.

 

Casual sexism and misogyny that all of us observe everyday go on to show that legal action in seclusion cannot ensure safety of women. We need a more ‘human’ approach towards the issue. Calling out such abominable behaviour is our resistance. It is ironic how an area that is marked for its institutions and their excellence, should be called out for its degrading safety measures.
“Delhi Police must immediately book the perpetrators,” notes the same Facebook post (aforementioned). “DU administration and the Delhi Police must ensure safety of students around the campus and around every college of DU.”
The inaction of the authorities can easily be explained in their inability to apprehend the perpetrators as yet. It is high time that proper action is taken. The ignorance towards these seemingly petty crimes may prove more harmful otherwise.

 

Feature Image Credits: Dailymail

 

 

Kartik Chauhan

[email protected]

 

 

In another violent crime at North Campus, a student was stabbed repeatedly; students plead for safety measures.

A student from the Delhi School of Economics (DSE) was attacked by unidentified phone snatchers on Sunday, 2nd December 2018. The incident took place late night, at the Naala Bridge at Patel Chest Institute, North Campus, University of Delhi (DU), which is in close vicinity of Maurice Nagar Police Station, New Delhi. A robbing attempt by bike ridden perpetrators escalated into violence, and the victim was stabbed in the back multiple times, with a knife. The victim, named Sandipan, is a 2nd year PhD student at DSE. Sandipan is currently admitted at Hindu Rao Hospital, Malka Ganj.

The police was informed about the incident and given the bike’s plate number belonging to the attackers. The perpetrators have not been found yet.

Patel Chest is the commercial centre of DU, residence to many students and is generally pervaded with students till late night. This makes it more prone to theft like violent crimes; reports of many armed robberies and attacks in the past stand proof of the same. Delhi University students have often been victims of violent crimes, and the inaction on behalf of the concerned authorities is problematic. Abhi Gyan, another student from DSE said, “The incident and police’s inaction is telling of how dangerous our own campus has become”.

Safety must be a top priority in areas inhabited by students. To urge the authorities to take corrective action and ensure their security in and around campus, the students of DSE organised a candle light march from DSE gates at 4:00 pm on Wednesday, 5th December 2018.

 

Feature Image Credits: Delhi School of Economics

Nikita Bhatia
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A DU student fights back to her molester, raising serious alarms in regards of women safety in public transportation.

 A twenty-three year old Delhi University student fights back to her molester, while on a bus ride home from Kapashera to Sangam Vihar. The victim grabbed the accused by the collar and waited till the police arrived and lodged a complaint against him. All of this happened with no support from the bus staff or the passengers aboard.

The accused, identified as Mukesh Kumar, 37, was standing beside her and made attempts to touch her. The woman describes how he started rubbing himself against her, while she was seated in reserved section for women. The man stood beside her, and started touching her inappropriately. The woman first ignored the action, and then retaliated by asking him to move away. To her dismay, the accused, unzipped his pants and started touching himself, trying to pull her towards him. The woman shook him off and then hit him with her sandal. Despite vain attempts to lure attention, the driver and the conductor paid no heed, until she forced the driver to stop the bus at Mehrauli. She stood up, grabbed the man by the collar and dragged him out of the bus. With the help of a passerby she was able to pin him down, until the police came and arrested him.

After conducting medical examinations, it was revealed that the accused was heavily drunk, as pointed out by the woman in her statement, claiming that he reeked of alcohol and kept threatening her. The accused is a resident of Molarband in Badarpur. He works in an event management company. A similar incident took place almost a month back when a nineteen year old Delhi University student jumped off a bus near South Extension, after being harassed by a man. The girl faced molestation seven times in the three months of reported abuse, every day, en route to her college.

A similar harassment case was registered under Vasant Vihar police earlier this year. A DU student posted a video online claiming the man sitting beside her was masturbating and trying to grope her, while her alarms were not given due. However, no arrest has been made so far, despite the police working upon it.

This incident was reported on route 717 of the Delhi Transport Corporation buses.

Many women do not feel comfortable travelling in buses, and harassment becomes a routine act in these buses due to lack of CCTV facilities and guards in the Delhi Buses. The DTC services in transport are one of the most used and efficient systems as it has routes all around the city, being an economical choice for its passengers.

The following row of incidents make us question women safety in public transportation and if the authorities are taken any serious action regarding it. As of the current state, public transport is very unsafe from women.

Feature Image Credits: alexanaderolin.com

Avnika Chhikara

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Yesterday, an Asmita march was taken out by NSUI to speak out against the recent cases of crime against women and to demand greater safety for women in the varsity.

NSUI took out a march from the Faculty of Arts, University of Delhi (DU) yesterday. The protest aimed to speak out against the rising crime against women. The recent Asifa and Unnao rape cases and the subsequent silence around them compelled them to take out a march, claimed members. Slogans like “Chatron ke sammaan mein, NSUI maidan mein (NSUI is out to protect the rights of students” were raised at the march.
Present at the march were DUSU President and Vice President Rocky Tuseed and  Kunal Sehrawat respectively. NSUI National President, Fairoz Khan was also present along with Deepender Singh Hooda, Member of Parliament. However, the protest was not confined to the Asifa and Unnao cases. The safety of women around campus and the need to implement ICC laws across the University were talked about.

Apart from the implementation of ICC laws, the march demanded installation of CCTV cameras outside girl’s colleges and demanded that a female constable be present outside all colleges to curb stalking and eve teasing. After the march reached the faculty of arts again, a small delegation from NSUI including the Rocky Tusseed, Kunal Sehrawat, Akshay Lakha, and Fairoz Khan met Dean Students’ Welfare, Professor Rajesh Tandon. The delegation presented a memorandum that put forth all the demands raised by the marching body. a detailed discussion on the failure of the administration to make the campus a safer place for women also took place. Fairoz Khan while talking to Professor Tandon expressed his plight at the state of the well-being of women in the Varsity by saying “If DU cannot lead the country, if we the leading institution in the country cannot set an example and be a role model, then it is a shame.” The demand for self-defence classes to be held across the varsity was also put up. The delegation rationed that they had promised the student body of DU CCTV cameras and a safer and secure campus and that they are obligated to ensure that these demands are met.

Approximately 350 students were present at the march; however, women constituted a small fraction of the same. The protest which lasted around two hours remained peaceful and non-disruptive. Heavy deployment of police officials across the campus ensured that the march was carried out smoothly. NSUI leaders claimed that they would take out another march on the same scale, within 10 days, if their requests were ignored by the administration.

Kinjal Pandey

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Feature Image Credits – Pinjra Tod

A student spends most of his/her day in the campus, but is it really a safe place? With recent incidents of sexual harassment at college fests, the dilemma has become even more prominent in the eyes of the youth.

Meghna Singh, a student from Miranda House, got masturbated on at SRCC’s annual fest, Crossroads. But she isn’t the only one who has gone through an assault like this – many students have recounted their horrific accounts where they have been sexually harassed on campus. When Meghna told the details of what happened with her at SRCC on social media, thousands of people didn’t believe her. Soon enough, she became the topic for jokes, memes and internet trolls where people labelled her as a liar.

Meghna’s story might be the first one to surface online, but it isn’t the first time a girl on campus has been assaulted like this. Sukhwinder Singh’s gig at Hindu College’s fest Mecca also saw a molestation incident where a girl got groped twice in public. One would think that being a student friendly area, the campus would be a safe place where one could walk freely, but is that really so?

Public gatherings like fests and concerts have witnessed many incidents like this take place and most of the time the victims don’t talk about it. And not just public gatherings; horrific incidents involving middle aged men on bikes stopping in front of girls’ PGs and masturbating to the ones standing in the balcony occur on campus on a daily basis.

Roads around colleges become almost abandoned after college gets over, because of the hostel/PG deadlines, and the empty streets have become a nightmare for anyone who is walking on them post 8 pm. Theft and assaults happen regularly and the police is doing the least about it.

As a resident of the campus and a student of the University, me and my friends have faced similar situations where the length of our skirts got men on bikes to slow down next to our rickshaws and call us out. Where simply walking on the roads of Kamla Nagar have gotten old men to masturbate to us. Where being part of protests got us groped and threatened with rape.

On a campus that is clearly not safe, it is appalling that people had problems believing Meghna’s story.

 

Image credits: DU Express

 

Anagha Rakta

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HANS RAJ COLLEGE Walking into college feels like walking into a factory site. Students are welcomed by behemoth construction taking place beside the canteen and near the main block. Initially, the former appeared to be nothing more than an eyesore. Soon however, it turned into a life threat, as debris from the site began plummeting down on students who dared to venture into the canteen area. Imagine feeling like Chicken Little in every single moment you spend at college! It is rather depressing to know that the most beloved and popular space in college – The Lover’s Point – is now also the most lethal and comes with a muted ‘enter at your own peril’ warning. The construction taking place near the main block is problematic because of the sounds emanating from the drilling, breaking, and building activity. The cacophony disrupts teaching and sometimes, splinters and tiny rocks fly into the classroom itself, injuring nonchalant students.

DAULAT RAM COLLEGE

Daulat Ram College has recently made headlines for its inadequate infrastructure, to the point of social media being flooded with memes about students wearing helmets to class. On 30 August 2016, a chunk of cement and plaster fell from the ceiling during a lecture in Room 105, injuring five students. Students had protested a mere couple weeks prior to this event, demanding timely renovation and proper sanitation in the college. In the aftermath of this event however, both students and teachers have taken a more hardline stance and boycotted classes until their demands for safe classrooms are met. The teachers’ association of the college has drafted a resolution stating the same. Police and media infiltrated the college on the day of the event, and emergency meetings were called between the Principal and the governing body. The students went as far as to involve the Vice-Chancellor of DU in the proceedings. An interactive session between administrative authorities, students, teachers, and parents has also been scheduled. We have yet to see whether this will be enough to finally propel the authorities to action. At the end of the day, all students have the same complaint: if only the college had been wiser and undertaken all construction work during the long summer break, students would have not just reaped the benefits of improved infrastructure, but also dodged (pun intended) the menacing consequences of infrastructural development. Kriti Sharma [email protected] Vineeta Rana [email protected]

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We seldom realise the severity of an ugly situation until we find ourselves embroiled in something equally, if not more unpleasant. Reading the newspaper daily had kept me cognizant of the crimes against women in the National Capital; but only recently, when I was victimised, not once but thrice, did the shock and horror of it engulf me in hatred and disgust.  The most outrageous part of it all is that my untoward experiences occurred on campus: an area that is supposed to be ‘a safe haven’ for the University’s burgeoning student population.

Episode 1: One day, as I waited for the train at the platform of Vishwavidyalaya station, I was approached by a stranger. He was a man in his mid-twenties. He boldly walked up to me and very squarely asked me, “Are you the prettiest girl on this planet?” Completely appalled by this stranger’s forwardness, my mind grew blank with fear. I was paralysed- both tongue and feet. He took my silent panic as encouragement and tried to get comfortable. Just then the metro rushed into the station. I reflexively jumped right in and fled to the Ladies’ coach. I found a corner seat and sat there, numb and motionless for the rest of the journey.

Episode 2: I was crossing the road in front of my college, when a bike with two crudely dressed boys sped past me. An instant later, the boy sitting behind the driver turned around, sized me up, whistled and hooted and loudly screamed out ‘Jaaneman, haseena!’ He followed this up with a cackle and before my mind could respond to the situation, the bike was a blur in the distance.

Episode 3: I was at Kamla Nagar, purchasing my books for the new academic session, when a group of boys, perceptibly students from a campus college, walked into the book store. One of them noticed me and overtly pointed me out to his friend. The friend then went on to call the boy beside him and before I knew it, all three boys were ogling at me. The stares made me extremely uncomfortable and I walked out immediately. I thought I had managed to escape the scene when these boys followed me out, overtook me, brushed their shoulder against me, called me ‘Tota’ and then hurried away.

Yes. The metro incident was my first experience with the disgusting indecency of men in Delhi University (and elsewhere, in general) and the other two episodes gave me a bitter taste of eve-teasing. I don’t wish to further opine my views on the subject of women’s safety in DU, because I know no one is listening. However, putting the entire issue in perspective, I, as a girl student in DU, seek answers to the following questions: what is the point of having a police constable stationed every 200 m on campus when lewd men still openly get away with their lascivious deeds? Also, why hasn’t the University done something more tangible to make public places like roads, platforms and campus markets safer? Why do problems like eve-teasing receive such tepid attention and response from the authorities? Are these issues not crimes? Or do we need something grave like rape or murder to happen to get authorities to implement stringent rules?

I know I am just one among the many women on campus who has had a tryst with such disturbing events. I feel we must come to the fore and talk about our experiences, no matter how hurtful, to create awareness and awaken the concerned parties to our cause. Questions like the ones above have to be raised more frequently and vociferously to actually pave the way for change.
So, dear sister, share your thoughts, views and opinions with us. Help us stir and sensitise the otherwise apathetic authorities. We look forward to hearing from you.

Image Credits: www.livemint.com

Kriti Sharma
[email protected]

 As part of a social awareness campaign on ‘women safety’, students of Kalindi College braving the rain organized a rally on 22nd January, 2014.

Rallying around Rajendra Place and Patel Nagar, the girls raised slogans to motivate people to take up a hard stand against women atrocities. The Principal of the College,Dr. Anula Maurya, led the rally and at all times kept their dedication and enthusiasm for the cause high.

IMG_3656 The Dramatic Society of the college, RAQS, played an important role in the rally and performed their street play within the procession, raising the slogan, ““Awazutha, shormacha”. “We have been and will be doing these events that will promote women safety and we thank our Principal for initiating this movement,” said Swati, a RAQS member. IMG_3680 Many awareness programs have often been organized to raise the voice for women emancipation in Kalindi College and this rally was one of them. “Nari ka samman jahan, sanskriti kauthan wahan”, “nar-narieksaman, phir kyon bhed kare insaan” were the slogans created to make a difference in the society towards gender equality. With a gathering of 2000 students, the rally was a huge success under the coordinatorship of Dr. Harvinder  Kaur and Dr. Manju Sharma. They were praised for their efforts by the observers of the rally. The police personnel of Rajendra Nagar police station, Prasad Nagar police station and Ranjeet Nagar police station helped in the smooth movement of the rally. While observing the rally one of the women said,” ye cheesein thodi soch zarur badalengi… Bahut achha kaam hai.”]]>