New Delhi, Sept. 28 -- The relentless downpour over Delhi's North Campus on September 28 failed to dampen a sea of red banners and echoing chants. Marching under the banner 'Hum Auratein Aazad Hain' (We Women Are Free), hundreds of students from Delhi University and beyond took to the streets to protest the harrowing gang rape of a 17-year-old girl in Kalkaji. Rejecting state-imposed curfews and victim-blaming rhetoric, the women-and-queer-only protest transformed grief into fierce, collective defiance.
Organised independently with no political party affiliation, the mobilisation began outside Miranda House Gate No. 7. Marching down Chhatra Marg past pouring rain, demonstrators converged at the Faculty of Arts, chanting powerful slogans like "Toodh kar rakhdo woh samaaj naari jisme bhandhi hai aaj" and "Inquilab zindabaad" demanding absolute male accountability.
Student leaders emphasised that the outrage is rooted in years of unaddressed systemic neglect. Shrestha, a BA History Honours student at Miranda House, pointed out the absurdity of institutional responses. "We are only here for the women of this country who are suffering in a zone where their safety isn't even offered by government. But what are they doing? Shutting parks, switching classes online. Is this the solution in a new development era?" she asked, criticising leaders and PM's remark of cultural shock on women language and focus on policing women's movements rather than curbing systemic violence.
Echoing this sentiment, Lakshmi Bai College President Tammana Dabas stood alongside protesters near the Dr. B.R. Ambedkar statue, declaring, "We won't stop fighting against these crimes. If crimes against women don't stop in this country, we will come up in huge numbers and fight against the injustice."
For alumni and supporters, the trauma is deeply personal. Akruti, an alumnus, recalled harrowing incidents of harassment near college gates that continue to haunt students, noting that police apathy only deepens the crisis. CJP spokesperson Ratna Singh underscored that legal frameworks alone are insufficient without a fundamental shift in mindset. Advocating for preventive accountability, she remarked, "Har ghar 'Samajhdaar Ladke Yojna' should be launched, because teaching boys respect, consent, and accountability is just as important as making laws."
From North Campus to LSR and Kamala Nehru College down south, the student movement has made it clear: safety is a non-negotiable right, not a privilege governed by curfews.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.