SFI students take out march against rapes, demand working streetlights, freedom of movement

New Delhi: Scores of school and college students joined a march led by the Students' Federation of India (SFI) to the Delhi Secretariat on Wednesday, protesting against sexual violence against women in the national capital. The SFI alleged that there has been an alarming spike in reported incidents of rape and sexual harassment, including those involving minor girls, over the past two weeks, and at least 13 in September alone.

Its activists cited the gang-rape of a 17-year-old at Astha Kunj Park near Lady Shri Ram College, the sexual assault of an 11-year-old at a tailor shop in Sadar Bazar, and the gang-rape of a 17-year-old from Uttar Pradesh on a moving bus.

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SFI submits demands to Delhi govt

While policing and law and order fall under the Union government and Delhi Police, the protesters highlighted the Delhi government's responsibilities in public infrastructure, education, and women's and children's services. A delegation from SFI met Pradeep Tayal, a joint secretary in the Delhi government's General Administration Department, and submitted a memorandum of its demands.

The Left-backed outfit has called for zero tolerance against delays in filing FIRs in sexual violence cases, time-bound safety audits, CCTV cameras and streetlights, safety in public transport, and establishment of women's safety assistance points and safe public toilets.

The memo also demanded gender sensitisation in schools, protection of gender and sexual minorities, mandatory sensitisation and accountability of authorities, a public accountability dashboard, and functional Internal Complaints Committees (ICCs) with institutional sensitisation.

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SFI raises safety concerns

Addressing the gathering, SFI Delhi president Nadia slammed the "double-engine government" in Delhi under Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and the BJP, alleging it has "miserably failed to ensure the safety and security of its citizens."

Its Delhi joint secretary Mehina said authorities must focus on abolishing rape culture instead of imposing "restrictive curfews on women students, policing their clothing and restricting their mobility in public at night time." "SFI Delhi stands firm in ensuring the protection of the rights of students as citizens in the city.

We will intensify our struggle to reclaim the streets and campuses for women," the organisation said in a statement. The marchers walked to the Delhi Secretariat at ITO, where they staged a demonstration before a delegation submitted a charter of demands to officials.