A student of IIT-BHU in Varanasi was allegedly molested by men on campus in the early hours of Thursday. The incident sparked an outrage, following which hundreds of students have started a protest.
The incident took place in the early hours of Thursday when the student went out of her hostel with a friend. She was stopped by three bike-borne men, who allegedly molested her, the student said in her complaint.
The student said in her complaint that the accused separated her from her friend and forcibly took her to a corner. They then stripped her, made her video and clicked photos. The accused let her go after 15 minutes and took her phone number.
Based on the student’s complaint, an FIR has been registered under Section 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) of the Indian Penal Code and under provisions of the IT Act, police said.
Following the incident, students gathered at the Student Activity Center on the IIT-BHU campus and protested. They claimed outside elements were involved in the incident and demanded that outsiders be banned from entering the campus.
“While the accused are being traced, some students are demanding that the boundaries of their IIT campus be separated. Apart from this, students have also given a memorandum regarding the smooth functioning of CCTV cameras and electricity,” said DCP RS Gautam.
He said that a team has been formed to catch the accused and that they are being traced based on the CCTV footage. The DCP also said if any video or photo of the student who was molested is posted on social media, action will be taken