BackgroundOn Monday evening, a minor girl was gang-raped by three men inside the Aastha Kunj Park, near Kalkaji Mandir, about two kilometres away from the Lady Shri Ram College’s (LSR) campus back gate. Police arrested one accused after an exchange of fire on Tuesday morning and two others soon after. Following the encounter, classes at LSR from noon onwards were shifted online as students remained anxious about safety. On Wednesday, principal of the college, Prof Kanika K Ahuja, informed us that offline classes would resume per usual from today.‘Every day there’s a new incident, a new headline, another reminder of the constant fear women and girls are forced to live with’The college’s Women Development Cell also posted a note on social media. “Every minute, every hour, every day, there is a new incident, a new headline, another reminder of the constant fear women and girls are forced to live with. No one should have to live in a constant state of fear. No girl should have to question whether she will make it home safely,” they wrote.A major part of the discussion has been around safety beyond the college gates: LSR Students’ Union“There is definitely anxiety among students following the incident, and several safety concerns have been raised with us,” LSR Students’ Union president Anusha Garg tells us. “The college has shifted classes online for the time being. From the Students’ Union’s side, our larger concern is that students should feel safe while coming to and leaving college, and that any immediate measures should be accompanied by longer-term interventions rather than becoming the only response.”Highlighting the top safety concerns, she adds, “A major part of the discussion has been around safety beyond the college gates, especially because many students live in PGs and rented accommodation nearby. Students raised concerns around lighting on certain routes, police visibility, safe pedestrian access, security around the gates, and better coordination between the college, police and other relevant authorities. We’re also looking at how concerns can be communicated and acted upon more quickly. The larger focus is on making students’ everyday commute and the areas they regularly use safer.”
The gang-rape incident at a park close to Lady Shri Ram College for Women (LSR) campus puts the spotlight back on women’s safety issues in the city (AI Image for representation purposes only)
LSR’s Department of Sociology wrote a long note on Instagram, condemning the incident. They also spoke about women’s safety at large. “What makes this (incident) harder to sit with is how familiar it feels. Incidents of harassment and violence in and around our college are something many of us have witnessed, heard about, or lived through ourselves, often enough that they begin to feel like a part of the everyday. This week has made it impossible to look at that familiarity as anything other than what it is,” they wrote, adding, “As women, we recognise how often this feeling comes with lessons about coming home earlier or never going anywhere alone. That, too, is worth noticing, because it speaks to how much of our movement through the city is shaped by caution learnt over years, and to how a place can begin to feel smaller than it once did.”We have requested enhanced patrolling in the lanes adjoining the college, especially around the back gate: LSR principalThe college suspended classes on Tuesday following the incident. The administration informs us that they have been coordinating with the police and taking steps to address students’ safety concerns. Prof Kanika K Ahuja, principal, LSR, shares, “The college is working in close coordination with the Amar Colony Police Station. We have requested enhanced patrolling in the lanes adjoining the college, especially around the back gate and adjoining parks. To further strengthen safety, a meeting has been arranged with the DCP and SHO in the college along with our students to ensure security and swift action.”The principal adds, “The college administration remains committed to working alongside the law enforcement agencies, and our faculty and College Counsellor continue to be available to support students. All classes shall resume offline from tomorrow.”
