00:00From political showdown of the election commission, let me now take you to the citizen fight on the ground.
00:05That's where college students of the Lady Sriram College are out and about and they are protesting with regard to
00:10women's safety.
00:11This is in the backdrop of the recent rape case, gang rape case that we've been reporting about.
00:16And because the encounter and the rape happened in the vicinity near the college premises, here's what the girls are
00:23saying.
00:24Shreya Kundu, my colleague, is on the ground. Shreya, over to you. What is the scene like around you?
00:32Pooja, if you can see in my background, there are these students who have been protesting and they are just
00:38approaching the end of the protest.
00:41This is the national park right behind the back gate where these students had all come in to assemble for
00:49a march,
00:50which they are saying is not in protest but in solidarity of the entire situation that took place at Kalkaji.
00:57Now, there are several security measures that they've flagged that are not in place right here in the heart of
01:05the national capital where this esteemed institution is currently.
01:09Number one is the CCTV and the patrolling issues that they have to say that though CCTV cameras are in
01:16place, several of them actually do not work properly.
01:20Then they also have to say while patrolling is supposed to take place from time to time, there's hardly any
01:25that takes place.
01:26As you can see, just Pooja, just to show you the visuals of the number of students who've come out
01:32to in fact join in solidarity with the Kalkaji victim,
01:38the rape victim at this given point of time.
01:40And this is not just about the encounter operation that happened outside this college's back gate, but their point is
01:47this has been an issue.
01:49If teasing, groping, sexual harassment, this is what the students have gone through for a long time.
01:55And despite repeated mentions to authorities, there is very little action that takes place.
02:01They're taking the protest now from the national park towards the other side of the college and we'll be following
02:07them throughout.
02:08But yes, there are slogans.
02:10You know how Gen Z is extremely creative with their slogans and we got some examples right here today as
02:14well, along with the posters that they have made.
02:17There was some issue a little while back with the police having gathered here.
02:21There was an entire permission issue that was being discussed between these students, their representatives and the cops.
02:27But right now that conversation seems to have been successful.
02:32There are several cops here who have gathered as we speak, but that particular situation has been taken care of.
02:40But yes, as I'm speaking, the protest has come to a bit of a pause while they do get out.
02:45It's a tricky street here, the park connected to the main road.
02:49They're now moving on towards the main road.
02:51We will follow them to check where exactly are they headed.
02:54But for now, yes, this is the solidarity movement from the ELSAs, that is the students of LSR.
03:01How about this, Shreya?
03:02They have moved to online classes is what we hear at the Lady Sriram College.
03:10All right, so Shreya is trying to get voices there from the protesters.
03:13And remember, there is an understandable anger and outrage for the girls at LSR.
03:19And that is one of the reasons that they are out and about and wondering if the streets are not
03:22safe for them.
03:24Meanwhile, some of the classes, we are told, has moved online because the girls don't want to take that stretch,
03:31especially for the baggage.
03:32Shreya, if you can hear me, a quick question with you.
03:34Are they going to stay online?
03:35What are they demanding?
03:36Who have they written to?
03:38Have they contacted the police authorities?
03:40What are the authorities of the college saying?
03:41Are they supportive of what the girls are saying?
03:49Shreya, if you can hear me, what is the support that the girls are getting from the college authorities, from
03:54the police?
03:55Yes, Pooja, there is a bit of an issue here with regards to the students and how they do not
04:05want to be at this given point of time.
04:07Their voices, they have to say, they do not really want to be put out there on media channels.
04:12But at the same time, yes, we have been amplifying their voices in their demands.
04:16Their demands are simple and I think the demands are very, very pertinent.
04:19Given the fact that I am a student from this very college years back, yes, these are issues that have
04:25been there for years.
04:27The entire patrolling issue, the entire streetlight issue, this particular street, if I can make you look at, this is
04:34the National Park Road that we are speaking of, right?
04:36This has street lamps, but the streets on either side, they are completely in pitch dark right after sundown.
04:43So that is one major issue that the students face here on a daily basis and this has been highlighted
04:48time and again.
04:49Another aspect, Pooja, that I would want to highlight here is there is an entire system called pink boots that
04:54I was speaking to some students about.
04:56Now, when we speak of pink boots, these are coordinated by the students, certain representatives from the students and the
05:04police as well.
05:05But for the last couple of months, apparently, the entire thing has not been staffed and manned by police officers.
05:14So there is a major fear among students that while they are inside the campus, they are extremely safe.
05:19But the minute they step out of the campus, be it the back gate, some people have said they do
05:23not even use the back gate because they are so scared of the street lighting situation or the patrolling situation
05:28here.
05:28But even in the front gate, the fear still persists with regards to security concerns right after sundown.
05:33So that is one major issue that the students here have been grappling with.
05:38But at this given point of time, the police is also here.
05:41The police a little while back after holding a meeting with the lieutenant governor and the MCD commissioner as well
05:46as the DDA vice chairman, they had come out to put a post that, yes, they will increase and improve
05:51on the patrolling situation here.
05:53But unfortunately, Pooja, we are standing here and talking about a reality where there are four major rape cases that
05:59have been reported from the national capital in just the last couple of days.
06:04And to be very precise, 12 days as we speak.
06:07So there is a major gap in the law and order situation, at least here in this vicinity that we've
06:13seen being flagged for years.
06:14And yet there is very little action that's taken place and the situation has hardly changed.
06:19Shreya, keep getting us the voices and we understand concerns that the girl students may have.
06:25But it's also important to put out these voices because that's the concern a lot of college girls, especially not
06:30just in LSR, but in several other colleges of Delhi University or private colleges will have.
06:34The last thing on your mind should be your own safety when you're going to a college to get educated
06:38and get degrees.
06:39And this is the time that the police authorities will face questions.
06:42Politicians will face questions as well.
06:44And we'll keep tracking the latest on this big story.
