Following the virality of videos on social media showing numerous males scaling the wall of Miranda House College during a campus festival and causing a commotion, Delhi Police on Monday filed a complaint against anonymous individuals.
“A case under section 354D (stalking), 509 (outraging modesty of a woman), 448 (punishment for house trespass), and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code has been registered and investigation has been taken up,” Deputy North Commissioner of Police Sagar Singh Kalsi remarked. “Teams have obtained CCTV footage from the college.”
In the videos, males can be seen climbing the college’s fences and gates and yelling anti-government slogans while on campus. Sobhana, a student in her second year of the BA programme, tweeted the video, according to Men climbing over the walls to get into Miranda House during an open fest. What followed was horrible. Cat calling, groping, sexist sloganeering and more. Men entering safe spaces to harass gender minorities is nothing new, but they outdo themselves every time.”
Onella, the college’s annual Diwali festival, was scheduled from 10.30 am to 4.30 pm on October 14. This is when the tragedy occurred. Anyone with a valid Delhi University admit card was welcome to attend the festival. Anushka Chaudhary, a second-year BA student there at the time of the incident, recalled arriving at the college’s main gate at around 12 o’clock and spotting a sizable throng.
Bijayalaxmi Nanda, the principle of Miranda House, reported being present during the festivities “There were more people at the event than we could manage. We closed the doors but they were jumping in. Police then controlled and managed the crowd, and by 3.30pm, everything as under control,” she said.
Nanda noted that the incident is the subject of an internal investigation, and the college administration has requested students to report any harassment claims.
