NEW DELHI: Following a complaint of sexual harassment by a Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student and an indefinite hunger strike by the complainant demanding stern action against the accused, the Democratic Students’ Front (DSF) stated on Thursday that the JNU authorities has issued a proctorial notice to the survivor, as well as other student representatives and activists, for demanding action against sexual abuse.
In their statement, the DSF said there were attempts to target and silence the survivor. One of the leaders remarked, “Instead of ensuring timely redressal of sexual harassment cases and taking actions to ensure a gender-sensitive campus, the JNU administration is attempting to target and intimidate survivors of sexual harassment, along with other representatives and activists who are advocating for a gender-just campus.”
A student of JNU had alleged that she was sexually harassed on campus by a group of students on Sunday. Alleging she had received no response from the university admin, the complainant began an indefinite strike near the campus main gate, protesting the “inaction” by the Chief Proctor’s office regarding the incident.
The purported incident took place around 2 am on March 31, when a car with several individuals on the JNU Ring Road stopped and directed derogatory remarks at her.
Chief Proctor Sudhir Kumar previously stated that the university authorities summoned the students accused of being involved in the incident.
In response to allegations, the ABVP said in a statement on Tuesday, “A JNU student has filed a complaint against several students for ‘harassment’ on the intervening night of March 30 and 31. Political grudge is a serious issue, and the Left organizations are dragging ABVP into this for political gains... this is indicative of cheap politics. It is extremely unfortunate that the Left organizations have chosen to politicise issues related to women’s safety for their own political gains rather than supporting a fair investigation.”
“ABVP demands that JNU authorities engage in dialogue with both parties, conduct an impartial judicial inquiry, and take appropriate action against the accused,” ABVP stated.
ABVP responds
In response to allegations, the ABVP said in a statement on Tuesday that the Left organizations were deliberately dragging the ABVP’s name into the alleged incident for political gains which is indicative of cheap politics. It is unfortunate that the Left organizations have chosen to politicise issues related to women’s safety, the ABVP hit out.
