Women’s safety has become a serious issue in India. According to a 2018 report, India ranks as the world’s most dangerous place for women.
Recently, a law student studying at Gauhati University filed a police complaint stating that an unidentified man molested her inside the university premises. On June 5 2019, when she, along with her roommate was going to her hostel on foot, an unidentified man grabbed and touched her private parts, outraging her modesty.
It was around 8:30 p.m. the victim and her friend were taking a walk inside the campus when the incident occurred. “Initially, it was drizzling but when it started to rain heavily, we decided to rush back to our hostel when we noticed an unidentified man following us. As we began to run, the man grabbed my friend from the back and knocked her down to the ground. When we had resisted, he escaped under the cover of darkness,” the victim’s friend told reporters. After the incident, the a complaint was lodged with the nearest police station on the next day.
The student belongs to Nagaland. She is pursuing her education at Gauhati University, and is a resident of the AT-2 hostel on campus.
Days after the molestation of a law student in the university campus, another student of the university was molested in Lankeswar, an area in the vicinity of Gauhati University.
As per reports, the student was shopping at Lankeswar with her friend. Both were paying guests at Kailashpur, close to Lankeswar. As the girls were returning back from shopping around 8 p.m., two helmet-clad men rode past them on a motorcycle and inappropriately touched one of them.
Local residents heard the commotion and tried to catch the bike borne culprits, but failed to do so. The friend of the victim took to social media to explain their harrowing experience in a post that has now gone viral.
Both incidents have sparked outrage from students of the Gauhati University. Protests are in full swing on campus. The news has caught the limelight of the local media, yet when state education minister Siddhartha Bhattacharya was asked about the issue, he said that the Gauhati University administration had not him informed about the incident.
Now, the question is: does a responsible minister need to be informed of what is happening in his department or should he should know it for himself? Moreover, if the incident has received media coverage, how can the minister say he does not have prerequisite information? Is this an attempt to slyly push the onus on to the university authority?
For the students of Gauhati University, their security on campus is under threat because of an alleged lackadaisical attitude of the authorities. According to a media report, it was revealed in a police investigation that an effort to nab the culprits was badly affected due to poor quality visuals of CCTV cameras. Street lights are not sufficient either, only seventeen are in functional mode. Along the route from the university market to the women’s hostel, only two street lights work. This situation makes all students and employees vulnerable, and raises serious questions on the security and safety of the students inside the campus.
Meanwhile, private security guards are also not provided with basic facilities. No electric fans are available in their rooms allotted to them for accommodation by the university authority. Their monthly salary is also not regularly given. Had this been maintained properly, a sincere level of duty could also be expected.
Another problem are the local residents and city buses and other vehicles. They often take the easy route via the university campus to reach their destination. Yes, the university is a closed campus with a strongly built gate, with guards being deployed to check passersby, but what is done is the bare minimum. The name of the driver of the bus is asked, and they are let go without bothering to know more details. This is nothing but mere formality. If this is the only checking that is to take place, why even bother declaring the university a closed campus?
If women students are to be secure, firstly the authority should tighten security and make the environment safe for free movement. Women can’t confine themselves indoors in the 21st century. They are educated, they need to go out for jobs, to study and to expand their horizons. This type of cruel behaviour often negatively affects the psyche and morale of a woman, she loses her confidence.