Students of IIT-BHU hit the streets after female student ambushed by men, disrobed and forcibly kissed

The students of Indian Institute of Technology- Benaras Hindu University staged massive protests on Thursday after a female student was allegedly forcibly kissed, harassed, undressed and her plight was videotaped by three unidentified men on campus.

Over 2000 students staged a sit-in at the Rajputana hostel crossing, demanding the arrest of the accused, up gradation and upkeep of security measures across the campus, and the resignation of the registrar. The students boycotted all classes and upheld their demands amidst fervent sloganeering. Later, the protests were shifted to the IIT-BHU Director’s office.

Three men mounted on bikes stormed into the campus on Wednesday and allegedly molested the female student near the student quarters. The protestors demanded stricter vigilance of the authorities on campus, and curtailing of the free access that outsiders have. The students claimed that the men who allegedly molested the student were outsiders. Moreover, a demand to construct a wall separating the IIT and BHU campuses was raised.

The authorities conducted a meeting with the student representatives, and stated that the institute will pursue the proposal for a closed campus with the Ministry of Education."The institute shall actively pursue with the Ministry of Education and the University administration for the creation of a closed campus with restricted entry," the BHU Registrar said in a statement. In addition, the registrar also mentioned that security deployment will be increased across the campus, and news CCTV cameras will be installed at the earliest. The institute has also announced that the movements of the students on campus will be restricted between 10:00pm-5:00am.

As per the complaint filed by the survivor, she was assaulted while she had left with her friend to go on a walk on Wednesday night. It was near the Karman Baba temple that three unidentified men on bikes cornered them. She was gagged and dragged to a corner where she was allegedly assaulted, forcibly kissed, and her clothes were stripped off. The three men then went on to photograph and video graph the entire incident. She was allowed to go after 15 minutes, and her mobile phone was snatched from her.

An investigation probing into the incident has been launched by the police. The police have also stated that they are working in tandem with the authorities to ensure a safe campus space for all the students.