New Delhi: Four days after a group of men broke into Gargi College and allegedly groped, harassed and molested students, Delhi Police on Monday registered a complaint as hundreds of students protested demanding strict action against the intruders.
The outrage following the attacks during their college festival Reverie on February 6 found wide echo with students from other colleges sharing their anguish, political parties speaking out and the issue being raised in Parliament.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal termed the incident "extremely unfortunate" while Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' said those involved in the act were outsiders and the college administration has been asked to take strict action against them.
The Delhi units of the BJP and the Congress united on a common platform with both asking that the culprits be arrested at the earliest.
Delhi Commission for Women Swati Maliwal also reached the college, in the Siri Fort area in the heart of south Delhi, to take stock of the situation. The DCW issued a notice the college and the Delhi Police for "inaction".
Meanwhile, the National Commission for Women (NCW) has taken cognizance of alleged mass molestation of Gargi College students. NCW has sent a team to the college to probe the incident and will record the statements of the students.
Fighting allegations that the college administration turned a deaf ear to their complaints and did nothing, Gargi College principal Promila Kumar said a general body meeting was held with the students and the matter amicably resolved.
"The college has filed a police complaint and has also set up an internal inquiry committee to look into the matter and speak to complainants. The police have begun their probe and are collecting footage," she said.
According to Atul Kumar Thakur, DCP (South), a case has been registered under IPC Sections 452 (house-trespass after preparation for hurt, assault or wrongful restraint), 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention).