NEW DELHI: The Students' Federation of India (SFI) led a march to the Delhi Secretariat on Wednesday, protesting against rising sexual violence against women in the national capital and demanding safer public spaces and freedom of movement.
The activists cited the gang-rape of a 17-year-old at Astha Kunj Park near Lady Shri Ram College, the sexual assault of an 11-year-old at a tailor shop in Sadar Bazar, and the gang-rape of a 17-year-old from Uttar Pradesh on a moving bus.
The protesters raised concerns over an alarming increase in reported cases of rape and sexual harassment, including those involving minor girls, over the past two weeks. The student organisation said at least 13 such incidents were reported in September alone.
While policing and law and order fall under the Union government and Delhi Police, the Left-backed organisation activists said the Delhi government has responsibilities related to public infrastructure, education, and services for women and children.
The marchers reached the Delhi Secretariat at ITO, where they staged a demonstration. An SFI delegation later met Pradeep Tayal, a joint secretary in the Delhi government's general administration department, and submitted a memorandum containing their demands.
The SFI called for zero tolerance towards delays in registering FIRs in sexual violence cases, time-bound safety audits, CCTV cameras and working streetlights, safer public transport, and women's safety assistance points and safe public toilets.
The memorandum also sought gender sensitisation in schools, protection of gender and sexual minorities, mandatory sensitisation and accountability of authorities, a public accountability dashboard, and functional Internal Complaints Committees (ICCs) with institutional sensitisation.
Addressing the gathering, SFI Delhi president Nadia criticised the "double-engine government" in Delhi under Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and the BJP, alleging that it has "miserably failed to ensure the safety and security of its citizens."
SFI Delhi joint secretary Mehina said authorities should focus on abolishing rape culture instead of imposing "restrictive curfews on women students, policing their clothing and restricting their mobility in public at night time."
"SFI Delhi stands firm in ensuring the protection of the rights of students as citizens in the city. We will intensify our struggle to reclaim the streets and campuses for women," the organisation said in a statement.
(With inputs from PTI)