‘Women’s safety is a joke in DU’: Students speak out after 2 girls allege harassment, SUV chase | Exclusive

A late-night walk back to their accommodation turned into a frightening ordeal for two Delhi University students after a group of men allegedly passed lewd and abusive comments at them before following them in a car, according to one of the students.

The two students then tried to seek police assistance but allegedly received no help. They were made to visit multiple police stations, but no action was taken, and a Zero FIR was not registered, she told LiveMint in an exclusive interview.

The incident, which the student said took place at around 9:30 PM, has since fuelled wider concerns among women students over harassment, unsafe stretches around Delhi University and the difficulties they face while trying to report such incidents.

The third-year Hindu College student, who requested anonymity, told LiveMint that she and her friend were walking towards their flat when a car passed them.

“This incident took place around 9:30 in the evening. My friend and I were walking towards our flat. A car passed by, and a guy lowered his window and passed a comment. We ignored it, but he repeated it as if we hadn't heard.”

She said her friend confronted the man and asked him to leave, but the comments continued.

“My friend asked, ‘What kind of way is this to talk? Please leave.’ He repeated it again, so I said, ‘Bhaiya, did anyone ask you? Is anyone talking to you?’ I told him, ‘You'll get slapped, get out of here.’”

‘All four windows were rolled down’

The confrontation, she said, escalated after she responded to the man.

“With that, all four windows of the car were rolled down, and the men inside started hurling abuses. They used extremely foul language that I had never even heard before.”

The two women noted the vehicle's registration number and continued towards their accommodation. The student said they soon realised that the car was following them.

“We noted down the licence plate number, and the car drove inside. While walking towards our flat, we noticed the car was following us. They stopped and spent two to four minutes hurling intense verbal abuse at us.”

The student said they repeatedly tried to seek help through the emergency response number.

“We were constantly calling 112, but no one was answering.”

LiveMint has accessed a copy of the FIR registered in the case and contacted the investigating officer for an update. The officer declined to comment and directed the publication to the DCP office media cell.

‘Two young women were left wandering alone’

After the alleged harassment, the students went to the Maurice Nagar police station to file a complaint. The student said they were told that the location fell outside the station's jurisdiction and that they should approach the Model Town police station instead.

“We went to the Maurice Nagar police station to file a complaint, but they told us, ‘This falls on the other side of the drain, so it’s not under our jurisdiction.’ They sent us to Model Town.”

The student said the experience was particularly distressing because the two women were trying to report an alleged harassment incident late at night.

“Two young women were left wandering alone late at night—at 9, 10, 11 PM—just trying to file a harassment report.”

She questioned why the complaint could not have been registered at Maurice Nagar through a Zero FIR.

“They could have at least registered a Zero FIR at Maurice Nagar itself.”

According to the student, the case began receiving greater attention after statements were formally recorded in court the following day.

She said the developments were followed by protests at the Arts Faculty on September 24 and 25. Visuals of the protests subsequently circulated widely on social media, with students raising broader concerns over women's safety around Delhi University campuses.

Safety concerns intensify after separate Delhi rape case

The protests also came amid heightened concern over women's safety in Delhi following a separate incident in which a 17-year-old girl was allegedly gang-raped by three men posing as police personnel at Astha Kunj Park near Kalkaji on September 21, 2026.

The incident triggered protests and safety concerns among students at nearby Lady Shri Ram College for Women (LSR), located around 1.5 km from the reported site. The college later shifted classes online amid heightened security concerns.

The two incidents are separate, but together they have contributed to renewed student concerns about women's safety, particularly while commuting or returning to accommodation after dark.

‘All four were reportedly Law Faculty students’

The Hindu College student said the vehicle's registration number helped the students identify those allegedly involved.

“We tracked the vehicle details using the licence plate number and found out the suspect is a Law Faculty student. In fact, all four of them were reportedly Law Faculty students.”

She said the vehicle was seized while the main suspect was allegedly unavailable for two days.

“For two days, the main suspect was absconding, though his car was seized. Out of the four suspects, two have been arrested so far.”

The allegations and arrest details could not be independently verified beyond the FIR and the information provided by the student. The investigation is ongoing.

‘Women’s safety is a joke in Delhi University’

For other women students, the incident has brought back concerns about harassment not only inside university spaces but also on the routes students take to and from their colleges.

Khushi, a third-year student at Jesus and Mary College, said safety concerns can affect women's mobility and access to opportunities.

“Women’s safety is a joke in Delhi University. Women are routinely harassed both in and outside colleges. ICC is a joke; usually, there is no justice for survivors in cases of harassment within colleges and universities.”

She said even areas perceived as safer can become difficult for women to navigate after evening hours.

“Additionally, the commute is very unsafe. My college is in the diplomatic enclave. People usually claim that this area is safe, but all sorts of untoward incidents happen with women in these areas. Pink booths are usually never active and most places are isolated after 5 PM.”

For Khushi, the consequences go beyond the immediate fear of harassment.

“This costs us opportunities. Our families are scared to send us out and we're constantly scared too. How can we claim to move towards gender equality if we can't even occupy the same spaces as men?”

‘A parked vehicle with dark-tinted glass was enough to make my heart race’

Sreyasi, a first-year MA student at the Delhi School of Journalism, recalled being constantly alert while living near North Campus.

“When I lived in Timarpur, near Delhi University's North Campus, I was always on guard whenever I walked down the road. I kept glancing back and ahead to check if anyone was following me, and a parked vehicle with dark-tinted glass was enough to make my heart race.”

She recalled an incident in which she believed a vehicle was following her.

“Once, a van began trailing me slowly. When I stopped, a man stepped out, and I ran to the metro station while he kept staring at me.”

The experience, she said, changed the way she viewed vehicles with tinted windows.

“Since then, tinted windows in public spaces have felt like a real safety concern, because you never know who is watching from inside.”

She also described the discomfort women can face during everyday commutes.

“It isn't much better on the metro. There's almost always a man staring until you're so uncomfortable that you walk to the ladies' coach. And then there are men peeing against boundary walls along the road. Walking past, it's the woman who ends up feeling embarrassed, when the shame should be entirely on the man doing it.”

‘The fear stays with you’

Garima, a second-year law student at Campus Law Centre, said incidents of harassment can leave a lasting sense of vulnerability even when they do not involve physical violence.

“Even when you take all these precautions and plan accordingly, incidents like eve-teasing can still happen. The impact is not necessarily a constant or overwhelming fear, but it leaves behind a sense of fear that stays with you.”

Huda Aslam, a second-year student at Jesus and Mary College, pointed to infrastructure around women's colleges as another concern.

“DU has long been unaccommodating of women. Women's colleges, which you would think would be much safer, are in deserted areas where there are no streetlights despite students having demanded for it for years.”