LSR Students Protest After Rape Near Campus, Demand Safer Public Spaces
LSR students protest after a 17-year-old was allegedly raped in a park near campus; three accused arrested, one after a police encounter.
Students of Lady Shri Ram College in Delhi are holding a protest outside the college's back gate on Wednesday at 4 pm, following the alleged rape of a 17-year-old girl in a park about two kilometres from the campus.
The incident took place on Monday evening at Aastha Kunj Park near Kalkaji Mandir. The college suspended classes from noon on Tuesday and moved Wednesday's classes online. Its advisory also asked students, faculty and staff to avoid gathering near the back gate.
"After we got to know about the unfortunate incident, we cancelled classes. The safety, security, and well-being of our students is of paramount importance to us," principal Kanika K Ahuja said.
The college said it had asked Amar Colony Police Station to step up patrolling in lanes adjoining the campus, especially near the back gate and nearby parks. It added that it was in close contact with Delhi Police and was strengthening security in and around the campus. Faculty mentors and the college counsellor were asked to remain available for students needing support.
Students' Union president Anusha Garg said the burden of women's safety "cannot be on women alone". She argued that advisories asking women to be more careful do not address the problem, and that the focus should be on safer public spaces, reliable last-mile transport, visible policing, accessible reporting mechanisms and timely accountability.
Garg said women already make constant calculations about where they go and how they travel, and that the larger responsibility lies in making the environment itself more reliable and secure. She called for location-specific safety audits, with authorities identifying stretches repeatedly flagged by students between campuses, metro stations, bus stops, paying guest accommodations and markets, and assessing lighting, visibility, last-mile transport, emergency access and police presence.
Another student said she feels safe inside the campus but not outside it. She said she would not feel safe standing at the nearby bus stop, never goes to the back gate alone, and described the Pink Booth nearby as ineffective. She added that the students' union had repeatedly asked police to open the booth and patrol the area, without result.
Accused arrested
On Tuesday, a Delhi Police team laid a trap near the DM office road in Amar Colony after receiving specific information about the movement of the accused. The location was about 50 metres from the college's back gate.
When intercepted, the accused allegedly opened fire at the police team. Despite being told to surrender, he fired three rounds at the officers. Police retaliated and shot him in the right leg, after which he was arrested. He was identified as Asif, who works at Okhla Mandi, officials said.
The two other accused, Hemant and Mukesh, were also arrested. A case has been registered under relevant provisions of law, including the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, police said.