IIT-BHU molestation case reminds us of similar incidents at the university in the past

Hundreds of students staged a protest at IIT-BHU following an incident where a woman student was reportedly forcefully kissed and disrobed by three bike-borne men. This incident happened near the student's hostel, with these three men on a motorcycle not only molesting her but also capturing the incident on video.

What and when

• In the early hours of Thursday (November 2), at around 2:00 am, a female student left her hostel with a friend.
• According to the complaint filed by the girl, three men on bikes stopped her. She further said that these individuals managed to separate her from her friend and then coerced her into a secluded spot.
• There, they allegedly stripped her, filmed her, and took pictures.
• After about 15 minutes, they eventually let her go, but not without taking her phone number, as detailed in the complaint.

The protesters' demands

The students protested until late at night yesterday (November 2) and listed out their demands.

In response to this incident, the protesting students are advocating for a ban on outsiders entering the campus, asserting that outsiders were involved in the situation.

Additionally, they want a physical barrier to be erected to demarcate the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) from the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) campus.

Check some videos of the protests here: 

BHU's response

• Following the incident and the protests, the BHU Registrar stated that the institution would be taking proactive steps.
• They intend to engage with the Ministry of Education and the University administration to establish a closed campus with limited access. This is part of their plan, as mentioned in the statement.
• Furthermore, the registrar mentioned that security measures are being enhanced, and they have plans to install additional CCTV cameras across the campus in the near future.
• To ensure safety, the institute also revealed that student movements would be curtailed between 10 pm and 5 am, as outlined in their measures.

But why are all the actions taken once the damage is done?

Not the first time

This is not the first time that a protest like this has broken out after the molestation of a female student.

In February of this year, students organised a protest following an incident where a differently-abled student was allegedly molested by a young man, who happened to be the son of a BHU academic. The incident occurred under the pretense of offering her a ride.

Back in 2017, there was another significant protest on the BHU campus. It was in response to what the students perceived as the unfair treatment of a female student who had been molested by two unknown individuals while she was heading back to her hostel.

Even though there were security guards nearby, they didn't come to her aid during the time of molestation.

Instead, she had to endure misogynistic comments and was even shamed for walking alone in the dark.

READ MORE: I was molested at Banaras Hindu University: I thank students for protesting sexual assault on campus