Two Delhi University students were allegedly harassed and abused by a group of men in an SUV near Hakikat Park in north Delhi’s Mukherjee Nagar on Wednesday night. The incident on September 23 led Delhi police to file a First Information Report and an investigation into the circumstances of the alleged incident is now on.
The police said a written complaint was received after the incident which took place at around 9.30 pm. The complainant said she and another young woman were walking in the area when four men travelling in a Tata Safari made lewd comments, used abusive language and misbehaved with them.
Police began to investigate and locate the vehicle involved in the incident after the complaint. After the investigation, the SUV was identified as a Safari with registration number DL11CF4447. The vehicle was followed by investigators and the registered owner of the vehicle was the first target in the investigation.
During the investigation, police found that Naman, son of Anil Kumar, had been driving the vehicle at the time of the incident. Three other people were traveling with him. Police are still trying to determine what role each person played in the vehicle at that moment.
An FIR numbered 390/26 has been registered at the Mukherjee Nagar police station under Sections 78, 79 and 3(5) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The provisions relate to stalking, an act intended to insult the modesty of a woman and acts carried out by multiple persons with a common intention.
DCP Northwest Akansha Yadav said two young women were walking along the road when four men in a Safari allegedly passed lewd comments, misbehaved with them and used abusive language. The officer also said the individuals involved in the incident had been identified and police officials were in contact with the women.
The police investigation is continuing and the police are looking at the information about the vehicle and the people who were travelling in it. Based on the evidence collected in the investigation, further action will be taken, the police said.
The incident has also got Delhi University student representatives’ reaction. The president of DUSU, Yash Dabas, said he met the Station House Officer of the concerned police station and confirmed that an FIR had been registered. He also said that the investigation was underway.
Dabas, however, questioned the police response to the incident. He said better vigilance could have prevented the situation from escalating and argued that the student shouldn’t have been asked to attend different police stations in relation to the complaint.
The alleged harassment case comes at a time when student safety and security in public spaces across Delhi remain an area of concern. At late-evening hours, students’ locations like parks, roads and other areas such as the ones where they are often seen can be especially important and police must patrol them,” he said.
The Delhi Police has intensified patrolling and area-domination exercises in a number of locations following a separate gang rape of a 17-year-old girl in a park in southeast Delhi. The police have identified parks and other public areas that they find to be vulnerable and are trying to increase surveillance in them.
As students living in or travelling through areas like Mukherjee Nagar, which has a large student population due to its proximity to educational institutions and coaching centres, public safety concerns impact daily lives. The students’ safety and awareness of the police response, effective patrolling and reporting mechanisms are now being very much reiterated by students.
The FIR has been registered and investigators will be able to investigate and collect more evidence. The accusations against the accused are being investigated as well and more developments are expected as police proceed with the case.
