Tag: diwali fest chaos at Miranda house

Delhi Police has registered an FIR after students of all-women Miranda House alleged harassment at Diwali fest. The Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) has also issued a notice to the police and Delhi University’s Miranda House.

DCW chief Swati Maliwal (Photo: File)

By Arvind Ojha: After students of all-women Miranda House in Delhi were allegedly harassed by men at Diwali fest, the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) has issued a notice to the police and Delhi Delhi University’s Miranda House. The incident took place on October 14 during Diwali Fest at Miranda House.

Men climbed the college walls to witness an open Diwali fest on the campus and the students alleged that they experienced harassment, catcalling and sexist sloganeering. After the ruckus, the DCW chief intervened and raised questions about the security arrangements made by the college during the event.

“Men are climbing walls to forcibly enter the Diwali fest at Miranda House, one of the most popular colleges of Delhi. The women have made serious allegations of molestation and harassment. We are sending notices to Delhi Police and college administration. How did this hooliganism happen? What were the security arrangements in place?” she said in a tweet in Hindi.

DELHI POLICE FILES FIR

The Delhi Police on Monday took suo moto cognisance in the case and filed an First Information Report (FIR).

“In a viral video, a few men were seen attempting to enter a prominent women’s college campus by climbing the walls. Based on the video, Police has taken suo moto cognizance & has filed an FIR,” Delhi police said.

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On Sunday, DCP North Delhi said in a tweet: “Due to huge crowd gathering at a Diwali Mela organised in Miranda House College in North Campus on October 14, gates were closed by college admin. Some students tried scaling the walls but were prevented. The program went peacefully No formal complaint received so far.”

“Suo moto, a case is being lodged on the basis of the tweet. Investigation will follow,” the tweet read.

Sobhana, a student at the Miranda House, tweeted a video of men climbing walls to get into Miranda House and alleged that students experienced catcalling, groping, sexist sloganeering and more.

The students of the college shared multiple videos on social media in which some men are seen purportedly scaling the boundary wall, roaming around on the campus and raising slogans.

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WHAT DID WOMEN DEVELOPMENT CELL SAY?

Within an hour of the fest beginning, long queues of students had wrapped around the college. The college realised it could not contain any more people and attendees were ordered to evacuate the area and move out, Women’s Development Cell of Miranda House said in a statement.

“Many attendees of the fest, primarily men, went entirely out of control at this move and reacted aggressively when the administration prevented them from being on campus. They entered restricted premises like classrooms, ignored the requests of professors and staff, responded rudely to appeals to behave and invaded the students’ personal space,” the college’s Women’s Development Cell said.

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