By IANS
New Delhi : Three policemen were suspended after hundreds of Delhi University girl students Wednesday protested that they did not register complaints of three female students from the northeast who were allegedly molested.
“We have suspended the station house officer and two constables posted at the Mukherjee Nagar police station for not registering the victims’ complaint,” Delhi Police spokesman Rajan Bhagat said.
“Two fresh cases of molestation and harassment have been registered at the Mukherjee Nagar and Maurice Nagar police stations. A separate inquiry has also been ordered against the officials for not listening to the victims complaints,” he added.
Earlier in the day, hundreds of students of the IP College for Women and other Delhi University colleges protested outside the vice-chancellor’s office that some policemen went to the IP College in the morning and asked the girl students not to wear ‘provocative dresses’ to avoid facing molestation and harassment.
The policemen spoke to the girl students after three north-eastern girl students were molested in the Mukherjee Nagar area of northwest Delhi Sunday.
The girls alleged some unidentified men dragged them out of a rickshaw and sexually molested them.
Ironically, the molesters appeared to be young men who had appeared in a recruitment exam of Delhi Police minutes earlier.
“We called the emergency phone number, but there was no response from the policemen. We went to the Mukherjee Nagar police station, where no lady cop was present,” one of the victims told reporters.
“First, they refused to entertain our complaint. When pressed, they began asking filthy questions. We begged them, but no case was registered after repeated pleas,” she added.
The agitated students, shouting slogans against police, marched to the Delhi University vice-chancellor’s office around 11.30 a.m., but were barred from meeting vice-chancellor Deepak Paintal. The police also restored mild baton charge to disperse the crowd.
“We have ordered an inquiry and are investigating the lapses. We will take strict action against those found guilty,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (North District) Divesh Srivastva said earlier in the day.
After the protest outside the vice-chancellor’s office, the students marched to the Delhi Police headquarters, demanding to meet Police Commissioner Y.S. Dadwal and immediate arrests of the guilty.
The molestation and the alleged police insensitivity left girl students in the university shocked.
“It is very shameful that such incidents are occurring in the capital, which is said to be safer than other cities,” said Ritika Malhotra, a first-year student.
“Do you think we are safe in the capital? It is also sad that police do not register a case and the worst thing is that they ask filthy questions to the molestation victims. It is truly unacceptable,” said Swati Sharma, a third-year student.