Delhi Police File FIR After Men Seen Scaling Miranda House Walls

NEW DELHI:
The Delhi Police have taken suo motu cognisance and registered an FIR against unknown persons who allegedly climbed the walls of Delhi University’s Miranda House during an open Diwali fest on the campus, officials said on Monday.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) Sagar Singh Kalsi said they have booked the persons under sections of trespass based on the video. The students of the prestigious all-women college alleged several men climbed the college walls and gates to witness an open Diwali fest on the campus and indulged in “cat-calling and sloganeering”.

Miranda college principal B Nanda said the crowd was “unprecedented” and for the safety of students the gates were closed. “This did not deter the crowd who tried to enter the college after scaling the walls. Police immediately took action and controlled the situation,” Nanda said
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Delhi Commission for Women chief Swati Maliwal said the commission has sent a notice to Delhi Police and college administration regarding the matter.

“Boys forcibly entered the ongoing Diwali fair at Miranda House, one of the most famous colleges in Delhi. The girls have made serious allegations of molestation and exploitation. We are sending a notice to Delhi Police and the college administration. How did this hooliganism happen? What security arrangements were made?” Maliwal tweeted in Hindi.

Nanda has also filed a complaint at Maurice Nagar Police station and pledged to take measures to ramp up security in the college to prevent similar incidents in the future.

“There was an unprecedented crowd on the day of the fest. We closed the gates of the colleges but students tried to enter by climbing the walls. Police took immediate action and they were really helpful. Students, teachers and all the staff were taken to safety,” she said.

“We have taken cognisance and police were present during the event. The safety of the students is paramount to us. We are taking steps to ensure that it is not repeated in the future. I have written to SHO Maurice Nagar and will back it up with the CCTV footage,” she added.

The students of the prestigious college shared multiple videos on social media in which some men are seen purportedly scaling the boundary wall, roaming around on the campus, and raising slogans.

On Sunday, Delhi Police responded to the social media videos saying “some students (3-4) were trying to enter the college”, but they were stopped and the October 14 Diwali programme remained “incident-free”.
A student claimed in a tweet they were subjected to “catcalling and sloganeering” during the events on Friday as the men allegedly entered the campus forcibly.

“Men climbing over the walls to get into Miranda House during an open fest. What followed was horrible. Catcalling, groping, sloganeering and more. Men entering safe spaces to harass gender minorities is nothing new, but they outdo themselves every time,” a student tweeted.

Another student alleged many attendees entered classrooms and responded rudely.

“Men from Ramjas College with their sexist slogan, ‘Ramjas ka Naara hai, Miranda poora hamara hai’. (Ramjas’ slogan, all of Miranda is ours. Despicable,” she added.