IIT-BHU Woman Student Assault Incident Sparks Protests

Protests erupted at the IIT BHU Varanasi campus over an incident in which a woman student was manhandled by strangers. Hundreds of students gathered on campus to demand the arrest of the perpetrators.

According to reports, three strangers on a motorcycle burst onto the IIT campus and kissed and stripped a woman student. The incident took place near a student hostel, and the suspects were seen recording a video of the woman.

Students alleged that the perpetrators were from outside the campus and that barring outsiders from campus was the only way to make it safe. They also demanded that a wall be built between the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) and the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) to separate the two institutes.

The IIT authorities have agreed to take up the issue with the Ministry of Education. “The institute shall actively pursue with the Ministry of Education and the University administration for the creation of a closed campus with restricted entry,” the BHU Registrar said in a statement.

The university registrar said that security has been tightened and that CCTV cameras will soon be installed on campus.

In a seemingly moral policing attempt, the victim alleges in a lodged complaint that three strangers manhandled her near the Karman Baba temple when she rejected their demand to leave her friend. Provoked, the men tried to forcefully separate her from her friend. They also stripped her, took photos, and shot a video, the complaint read.

According to the police, the investigation is underway, and the university administration is cooperating with them.