Porous safety net

As a city, we may have progressed and the sprawling urbanisation evidently asserts that. Yet, Delhi is simply put to shame when its women have to suffer unruly behaviour. The Gargi College molestation and assault incident smudges the fine line between order and chaos. Law and order took a fall when a large assembly of people molested students at the Gargi College's cultural festival, overpowering security. Not only was the Police missing from the scene — strange given their active presence during cultural fests in city colleges — but they stated that only CCTV footage establishing people breaking the college gate was there and no footage of them molesting. All the accused henceforth were released on bail. Police are approaching students for any video account of the incident that can establish molestation on miscreants' part. Since there is no CCTV footage, molesters have found it convenient to roam freely on mere trespassing charges. The apparent lapse in criminal justice system glaringly mocks on the victims as it serves very little for any deterrence. Naturally, the credibility of law and order even in the National Capital takes a dip. Recent past has only recorded total mockery of law and order in the Capital. JNU Attack and the Police crackdown in Jamia Milia Islamia give out unappreciative episodes of a lethargic police investigation. Zero arrests in both cases and bail for all accused in the Gargi assault case is a dangerous trend for security in Central institutions of learning. The reverberating concern is whether we can provide a sense of safety to our children or not. Their gruesome experience in centres for learning is a gross failure of police and home ministry. It only discredits the country's law and order machinery that has failed to protect its young citizens. The JNU and Jamia incidents were enough for the city police to guard universities and colleges. There is no need to garrison them. Mere presence is enough to alert an emergency and act accordingly. The Gargi College incident has only marked a new low in public institution security. No parent would want to jeopardise their children's safety and reading incidents of molestations or masked attacks in eminent institutes only gathers apprehensions. February is eventful in the Capital. Lots of colleges host their annual or cultural festivals. Disruptive forces have to be handled by the police. These lapses are exactly the reasons that compel one to criticise the police. While Colleges can do only so much, the burden of security and expedited investigation ultimately falls on police. And, lately, police's safety net has been porous enough for miscreants to spread chaos beneath.