DU women students hold midnight march after Greater Noida gang-rape allegation

Several women students from Delhi University held a midnight protest march over the alleged gang-rape of a 16-year-old girl on a bus she had boarded in Greater Noida, calling for safer public spaces for women.

The march was organised late on Tuesday by the Students’ Federation of India under its “Reclaim the Night” campaign. During the protest, the student organisation also released its Women Students’ Manifesto ahead of the Delhi University Students’ Union elections.

The manifesto focuses on women’s safety, political representation and gender justice. It demands voting rights for students from all women’s colleges in the DUSU elections and 50 per cent reservation for women among the union’s office-bearers.

The SFI also called for safe and affordable hostels for women without discriminatory curfews. It sought functional Internal Complaints Committees with student representation and accessible menstrual hygiene facilities across university campuses.

Other demands include stronger emergency support systems, the deployment of women police personnel on campuses and action against moral policing and gender-based harassment.

The manifesto also proposed measures to prevent women students from dropping out, improve access to scholarships and fellowships, introduce gender-sensitive curricula and conduct regular independent safety audits across Delhi University campuses.

Protesters maintained that measures intended to protect women should not restrict their autonomy. They opposed rules that require women students to remain indoors after dark, arguing that safety must be ensured without curtailing their freedom.

With PTI inputs