5
The incident has intensified concerns over poorly lit stretches, secluded areas and limited police visibility.
New Delhi: The alleged gang rape of a 17-year-old girl at Aastha Kunj Park near Kalkaji Mandir on Monday evening has left students of Lady Shri Ram College for Women (LSR) questioning their safety beyond the college gates.
The park, about two kilometres from the Delhi University college, is close to areas frequented by LSR students living in paying guest accommodation and rented housing. The incident has brought renewed attention to concerns over poor lighting, police patrolling and security around the college and its surrounding neighbourhood.
According to police, the teenager and her 17-year-old male friend had visited Kalkaji Mandir before entering Aastha Kunj Park on September 21. The girl allegedly told police that three men approached them, claimed to be policemen and threatened them with legal action. The men allegedly separated the two teenagers and took the girl to an isolated part of the park, where she was sexually assaulted.
Police arrested all three accused the following day. One of them, identified as Asif, was injured in an exchange of fire with police near Amar Colony. The other two accused, identified as Hemant and his brother Mukesh, were arrested from their residence. An FIR was registered under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.
The incident has particularly unsettled LSR students because of the park’s proximity to the college and the police encounter near the institution’s back gate.
“College mein safety hai, lekin college ke bahar kyun nahi?” said Ashna, an LSR student, expressing concerns about harassment and the sense of insecurity students experience in the areas surrounding the campus.
Students have also pointed to the approximately 500-metre stretch outside the college’s back gate, which they say becomes poorly lit after sunset. They have demanded better lighting, regular police patrolling and functioning surveillance systems in the area.
“The back gate near where the exchange of firing between police and the accused happened is actually a very unsafe area,” said Divya, another LSR student. She said students had witnessed incidents of harassment in the area, particularly during the evening.
The concerns prompted hundreds of students to participate in a solidarity march on Wednesday. The protesters called for improved lighting, greater police presence and better security infrastructure around the college.
The college had temporarily shifted classes online following the incident before resuming physical classes. The administration has also announced the formation of a students’ security council to work with the college and police on safety-related issues.
LSR Students’ Union president Anusha Garg said the discussion among students had focused largely on safety outside the campus. “A major part of the discussion has been around safety beyond the college gates,” she said, highlighting concerns related to lighting, police visibility, pedestrian access and security around the college gates.
The college administration has sought increased police patrolling in the lanes adjoining the campus, particularly around the back gate and nearby parks. Principal Kanika K Ahuja said the college was coordinating with the Amar Colony police station and had held discussions with senior police officials and students on security measures.
Women’s rights activist Shalini Saha said the response to sexual violence must go beyond restricting women’s movement or advising them to avoid certain places. “Nobody is working on the actual solution, which is the mindset change,” she said, arguing that attitudes that blame women for being outside late or for interacting with men remain a fundamental problem.
The condition of Aastha Kunj Park has also come under scrutiny following the incident. Reports have raised concerns about inadequate lighting, surveillance and security inside the sprawling park. Police have said the accused allegedly took advantage of secluded and poorly lit areas.
For LSR students, the incident has exposed a gap between security inside an educational institution and the safety of students once they leave its gates. Their demands now extend beyond temporary police deployment. Students want sustained measures, including functioning streetlights, surveillance cameras, visible and regular police patrolling and safer routes around the campus.