Delhi University women march for safer campuses as Delhi Police begin 16-point safety audits
More than 3,000 women students from Delhi University (DU) marched through North Campus on Monday, September 28, demanding safer public and institutional spaces, a week after a 17-year-old girl was allegedly sexually assaulted by three men who posed as police officers at Astha Kunj Park.
Students from Miranda House marched to the Faculty of Arts, where they were joined by students from several other colleges before the procession moved through North Campus. It was the second such march by women students. Students of Lady Shri Ram College had held a march on September 23, two days after the incident.
Anjali, Delhi University secretary of the All India Students' Association (AISA), said the Astha Kunj incident had affected the everyday lives of women on campus. She described the march as "a culmination of concerns over sexual harassment and the handling of complaints on campus over several years".
The students raised concerns about the functioning of Internal Complaints Committees (ICCs) in educational institutions. Ms. Anjali alleged that students had reported incidents of sexual harassment during university events, including the Diwali mela and annual fests, but that the complaints had not led to action.
Their demands included functioning ICCs, better street lighting, improved public transport and greater accountability in handling complaints of sexual harassment. They also called for an end to survivor-blaming and moral policing.
The students criticised the use of surveillance measures in place of basic safety infrastructure. "Pink booths are put up, but most of the time no one is sitting there," Ms. Anjali said, alleging that such measures were being used more for surveillance and policing than for ensuring women's safety. The students also opposed proposals to restrict access to public spaces after dark, arguing that limiting women's movement is not a solution to sexual violence.
Meanwhile, the Delhi Police have begun safety audits of schools, colleges and other educational institutions across the Capital, focusing on physical security and compliance with child protection measures.
One round of audits began on Friday and continued through the weekend, and the exercise is still under way across the city. The audits cover 16 parameters, including security arrangements at main and other gates, boundary walls and fencing, verification of staff and workers, lighting and dark spots, CCTV coverage, abandoned buildings around institutions, unauthorised vendors selling liquor or tobacco, and safe transport facilities, an official familiar with the exercise told The Hindu.
The audits are being conducted by gazetted officers, including Assistant Commissioners of Police and officers of higher rank. Reports from individual institutions will be compiled for further action. More than 5,000 schools and 30 universities across the Capital are expected to be covered. As part of the exercise, 192 institutions in the north-west district, 245 in Rohini and 249 in outer north have been audited.
"Some deficiencies were found in the July audits. So, we are following up now on those gaps," the official said. A city-wide inspection drive launched in July as part of Child Protection Month had identified safety-related deficiencies in schools across Delhi.
The latest exercise is part of a wider series of safety audits being undertaken by the Delhi Police following the Astha Kunj incident. The police are separately auditing parks, while a monthly assessment of dark spots is also being carried out across the city, officials said.
