A Delhi University college has expelled a final-year student for a year, after the disciplinary committee found him guilty of sexually harassing multiple women students at an informal farewell in April. The incident allegedly took place on April 16, after the official farewell of the outgoing batch ended. An informal party, attended by around 70 students, was held at the Gurgaon border the same night.
At the party, the final-year student allegedly misbehaved and sexually harassed as many as seven women students. The next day, one of the complainants in the matter put up an Instagram story regarding the incident.
A Delhi University college has expelled a final-year student for a year, after the disciplinary committee found him guilty of sexually harassing multiple women students at an informal farewell in April. The incident allegedly took place on April 16, after the official farewell of the outgoing batch ended. An informal party, attended by around 70 students, was held at the Gurgaon border the same night.
At the party, the final-year student allegedly misbehaved and sexually harassed as many as seven women students. The next day, one of the complainants in the matter put up an Instagram story regarding the incident. They said they “briefed the teachers and authorities regarding the same”, after which the “entire matter was shifted outside our purview”.
However, despite it being a case of sexual harassment, the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) did not look into the matter. The ICC presiding officer said, “The complaint was sent to the principal and she marked it to the disciplinary committee. They have looked into and recommended action, which has been implemented.”
The college principal said students wanted the disciplinary committee to take action. “The committee decided to expel the student for a year as he was found guilty. Since it was almost the end of the academic year, he was not allowed to take his exams, so he has virtually lost a year. This was all done within a week of receiving the complaint,” she said.
The principal added that the responsibility also fell on parents, and that the college has been discouraging such parties: “As head of an institution, we often face this problem that these students decide to hold a party outside college premises and have alcohol… even though the legal age for drinking, under Delhi’s by-laws, is 25. But just because they belong to one institution, the institution’s name gets dragged in… Parents and families also need to take responsibility. It has to start from the family.”
The students’ council, in its statement, said, “These cases can have a grave impact on the lives of the victim and injure institutional values. They must be brought forward to either teachers or the student representatives as and when they occur. It is important that the victim does not bear any fault in such cases…”
~Preksha Mishra
