‘No curfews, fix the streets instead’: Delhi students spotlight safety outside campus

As rain fell over Delhi on Monday (September 28, 2026) afternoon, posters outside the Arts faculty of the University of Delhi began to smudge; this was the third solidarity march by students. The words written on banners remained smudged but bold: “Azaadi”, freedom. But this time, the demand was not simply for freedom from the classroom or the institution; rather, it demanded freedom from the fear that has become part of transit through the capital city of India, Delhi.

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Hundreds of students from Lady Shri Ram College for Women (LSR) gathered outside at the back gate of LSR, extending to Moolchand for a solidarity march following the gang rape case of a 17-year-old girl at Aastha Kunj Park near Kalkaji earlier this week. The incident directly affected the college: a police encounter involving one of the perpetrators took place near LSR’s back gate, prompting the college to move classes online temporarily and students to demand greater security around the campus.

But for the students who walked out of the gate that evening, the concern was not limited to an isolated incident. “It’s about the roads we take to the metro twice a day,” says a 20-year-old B.A. English Hons. student of LSR. She describes the park beside the back gate as frightening and feels ‘unsafe’ to walk to their paying guest accommodation. This impacts their day-to-day movement, and the students often decide not to stay late for a society meeting or leave before it gets dark.

“These are not just roads, but rather parts of many girls’ everyday lives,” says a third-year Psychology student at LSR. “For many of us studying in the women’s colleges along this route, walking these streets is an unavoidable part of getting to class, going home, or simply travelling through the city.”

Women across Delhi’s colleges describe changing routes, travelling in groups, avoiding certain roads after dark, or leaving college early. Their concerns extend beyond the campus perimeter to the roads, parks, metro stations, and neighbourhoods that make up their daily commute.

Danger outside campus

The roads near LSR have dictated students’ commuting decisions for several years. The issues faced by the students include catcalling, comments from men, stalking, and indecent exposure in public. A student pointed out that even though no data has been collected systematically on these cases, they happen quite often.

Anjali, a Gargi College alumna, recalls taking the road from Moolchand toward Siri Fort. “I often took the road from Moolchand to Siri Fort, but time and again, through the deserted routes, men would discreetly follow me,” she says.

Anjali, like any other girl, changed her route from Moolchand Metro Station to Green Park Station. Both stations are equidistant from Gargi College. The alternative route costs more in both time and money, but she feels it’s necessary for her security.

Such adjustments alter how women navigate the city. When direct routes are linked to harassment, they become unusable, and students must take longer routes that require more effort and money.

The back gate is still a key issue at LSR. The eight-to-nine-minute walk from the Moolchand Metro station to the back gate was not viable in the dark because of poor lighting and low footfall. Seniors always warn new students about the dangers of using the route to Moolchand and Amar Colony.

One second-year student avoids the area around Aastha Kunj Park after 5 p.m. and uses the back gate only in groups of three or four. “It is seen as a normal procedure,” she said. Students are expected to move in groups, avoid dark streets, stay alert, and return before nightfall.

These demands, however, seem to solve the wrong problem for some students.

“Women’s safety shouldn’t come from when we leave college and who walks out with us,” one student explained. “I want to be careful, but not trapped by that caution,” said another student. “I don’t want to think that I can’t linger after college anymore, walk a certain way, or use public spaces just because I’m a woman.”

During the LSR solidarity march, students walked along the routes they had identified as unsafe. The march began at the back gate and proceeded toward Moolchand, joined by students from neighbouring women’s colleges.

Safety measures increased

In the wake of the Aastha Kunj case, policing at LSR has increased. Students observed action at the Pink Booth near the college, which is normally unsupervised.

One student acknowledged the increased police presence but questioned its timing. “The presence of police really gives students a lot of safety and motivation to attend college,” she said. “But people also tend to get angry about the fact that all of these measures were taken only after such a heinous crime happened and not before.”

The Students’ Union addressed issues including unlit roads, lack of policing, blocked footpaths due to parked cars, security at the gates, and official communication during the general body meeting, which had more than 400 students attending virtually.

However, students question why such interventions occur only after a major crime rather than as a routine preventive policy.

“Safety measures should not appear only in response to a crisis; they should be maintained as a routine part of keeping students safe,” one student said.

Beyond LSR

Security issues do not only pertain to LSR. As a student of M.A. Gender Studies at the Kashmere Gate campus of Dr B.R. Ambedkar University Delhi, 23-year-old Blessy points out that university policies affect how students move around.

According to Blessy, the main entry point has denied students access for the last two years, forcing them to use the back gate. The road between the metro station and the university through Madrasa Road has been insecure for some time.

“The front gate, which is closed and was closed two years ago for students, is the most absurd situation this university has had to face,” she says. She explains that the main gate area is well-lit, populated, and closer to the metro, whereas the back gate forces students through Madrasa Road.

Blessy encourages peers to leave campus in groups, particularly after using the library late in the day. “I encourage people to travel with friends considering the number of cases on Madrasa Road,” she says.

She is also critical of the sole dependence on surveillance systems. “Adequate lighting may well light the road, but cameras and adequate lighting won’t provide security,” she argues, adding that enhanced surveillance may result in monitoring instead of protection, especially in light of the tensions between the students and the administration.

For Asifa, a 22-year-old student at Jamia Millia Islamia, the walk from college to the metro requires constant caution. After 5 p.m., parts of the campus become crowded, particularly around the canteens, where she notices men who do not belong to the college. Later in the evening, men standing in corners across the campus make her uncomfortable. The unease increases once she leaves campus and walks toward the metro station.

“I prefer to walk with my friends only,” she said. She recalls encounters with men making gestures and catcalling her along her route. Her concern extends beyond serious crime to the accumulation of everyday incidents that force women to remain watchful of their surroundings and avoid walking alone.

“There’s no active women's cell in Jamia, and we don’t have any access to such spaces,” she says. “I feel there should be scrutiny on campus and a bit outside so we women can move more freely and autonomously.”

Institutional reporting and ICCs

Campus safety infrastructure is based on reporting procedures and transparency.

According to Nitika Kakkar, a communication and gender studies expert, safety procedures depend on students knowing their reporting options. While educational institutions must form an Internal Complaints Committee (ICC), this does not guarantee access to a safe reportage.

According to Ms. Kakkar, citing data collected by the University Grants Commission (UGC) in 2022-23, even when 372 colleges filed annual reports stating that ICCs were present, 52 of these colleges did not conduct any awareness programme or workshop during the year.

According to UGC guidelines from 2015, institutions are required to regularly organise training sessions so students and others become aware of their rights and how to report them.

“The students can’t be expected to report an incident unless they are aware of the whole procedure.”

Ms. Kakkar further highlights the conflict of interest within the administration since members of the ICC are usually nominated by the very same administration that controls the institution. She mentions an instance at Kalindi College where two female professors complained about the male professors for harassing them, threatening them and making inappropriate remarks. “In September 2025, the ICC at Kalindi College found that the complaint did not amount to sexual harassment under the law, and the complainants filed an appeal at the Delhi High Court.”

Another example she gives is Ramjas College, where a student claimed a professor harassed them and later participated in that student’s internal assessment. The professor was resigned after student protests.

Official statistics versus daily experience

Crime statistics are limited to officially recorded cases; harassment is often left out.

Ms. Kakkar says as per data from the National Crime Records Bureau, Delhi reported 13,396 cases of crimes against women, with 1,058 cases of rape; this figure is the highest compared to the other 19 major metros of India. Macro-level crime statistics are unable to account for women’s choices to dodge harassment in different ways, like walking through longer paths, waiting for a companion, or refraining from evening activities.

While students constantly report catcalling, harassment, stalking, and indecent exposure in public spaces, there is no police data on such issues.

Additionally, there is a lack of proper infrastructure in Delhi as well. Data provided by The Hindu showed that 33% of the total number of 1,525 street lights in southeast Delhi were either broken or malfunctioning. The absence of proper lighting, along with the emptiness of the sidewalks, can be dangerous even during short travels.

Students also say that the law enforcement agencies are not very trustworthy. This was demonstrated in one case when a student reported that their friend told a policeman they felt unsafe near Moolchand and the back gate, and the response was, “Hum kaise maan le?” (”How are we supposed to accept that?”).

Extending safety beyond the gate

In the wake of the incident at Aastha Kunj, the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi has ordered an audit to be conducted in all the parks in Delhi, which will include lighting, security, and policing.

According to Ms. Kakkar, safety interventions cannot be limited to only when specific crimes occur. The university has to ensure that the space beyond the gate becomes an integral part of the institution.

Her suggestions consist of appropriate street lighting, training of security guards (including female guards), availability of safe transport at night, availability of ICCs, and a gender sensitisation programme. She also emphasises that safety policies should not curtail the freedom of the students.

“A genuinely safe campus is one where a woman student doesn’t have to think about her safety at all,” Ms. Kakkar says. Students should be able to study late in the library, return to their accommodations after evening classes, or wait at transit stops without constantly calculating risk.

This distinction remains central to student demands across Delhi. Students are not asking for restrictions; they are asking for functional, usable public infrastructure.

(Kulsoom Faiz is a freelance journalist based in Delhi)

Published - October 02, 2026 08:30 am IST

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