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Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student has started an indefinite strike at the main gate of the campus, accusing the administration of doing nothing about her allegations of sexual harassment against four individuals, news agency PTI has reported.
She alleged that four individuals, including two former students, had harassed her sexually on the evening of March 31 on campus. On her complain, an investigation into the incident has been mandated by the university administration. The complainant, however, claimed that the “perpetrators” of the crime were roaming around freely.
She told PTI, “It has been more than 30 hours since I first filed the complaint and no action whatsoever has been taken yet. There have been a bunch of formalities; my friends and I have been at the administration, leaving our classes, demanding justice, and doing all we can, while the perpetrators are roaming freely.”
The university, meanwhile, said it was following the due process. "We are following the due process which takes time. We also have to give a chance to the accused to provide their defence," JNU Chief Proctor Sudhir Kumar told the news agency.
The complainant further raised concerns over her safety and security on the campus. "It must be known that the person who harassed me and my friend resides in the same hostel as I do, and I am expected to go into the same hostel, the same corridors, the same mess, to face that person who has caused me such mental harassment."
The chief proctor had earlier said that the two ex-students facing the allegations have been declared "out-of-bounds from campus".
The complainant also voiced her dissatisfaction with the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union's (JNUSU) response to the issue, claiming that she saw the JNUSU's inaction and chose to launch her own protest in response.
“After witnessing the ineffectiveness of the JNUSU, I decided to take the matter into my own hands. They went to meet the proctor without the survivor while I and my friends were busy in formalities with the administration …," she said as quoted by PTI.
The student demanded the immediate restraintment of one of the accused from Sabarmati Hostel, cancellation of the registration of the accused, out-of-bound order for the former students and steps to ensure safety her safety, as well as that of her friends.
The purported incident took place when the complainant and a friend were taking a walk near the JNU Ring Road around 2 am, a university official said.
They were allegedly followed by four people, including two students who had already graduated, in a car. These people allegedly sexually harassed the female student, the official said.
The Left-led students' union has alleged that the four people, including the two former students, belong to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). The ABVP, however, denied the allegation and claimed that it was being falsely implicated.
(With inputs from PTI)
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