DU student kidnapped in broad daylight on Monday, Police fails to retrieve the girl

A 21-year-old Delhi University (DU) student, who is from Farrukhnagar in Gurugram, was allegedly kidnapped just outside the premises of Shyama Prasad Mukherjee College in Delhi on Monday December 3. Her family said she had a semester exam scheduled that day.

The kidnapper, was a man who gave his identity as Harish Yadav, who is believed to be a resident of Fazilpur village, called her father and threatened him not to inform police. The girl’s father, however, did seek help from the police but at Farrukhnagar police station, he was asked to approach Delhi Police as she was kidnapped in the national capital. It wasn’t known if he had demanded a ransom.

After local residents gathered and demanded action, Gurugram police lodged an FIR on Wednesday December 5 and formed a special investigation team. The Delhi Police has failed to trace her till now.

According to the complaint, the girl is a second-year undergraduate student, and had left home around 7 am on Monday to appear for the examination. She was supposed to return home by afternoon but never turned up. The exam schedule was from 9.30 am to 12.30 pm. At 3.19 pm, her father got the call from Harish Yadav.

“I tried to call up my daughter but there was no response. As she didn’t come back, I called up police control room but they didn’t pay heed to my requests. They said as she had gone missing from Delhi, we should approach Delhi Police. We then called our relatives for help. On Wednesday when villagers gathered and pressured them to file a complaint, police registered an FIR,” said the DU student’s father.

An FIR has been registered against Harish Yadav, under section 363 ( Kidnapping and Abduction) of the IPC at Farrukhnagar police station. “We have constituted a special team to look into the kidnapping. Our team is conducting raids to nab the accused,” said inspector Babu Lal, SHO of Farrukhnagar police station

On the other hand, the SPM administration is trying to downplay on the matter and has show a very apathetic attitude, in tracing the student.

AISA-SPM unit convenor, Neetu, said "It is already difficult for many young girls to convince their parents to let them study after Class 12th. Many students are even married off before they can complete their graduation. And then if our friends are kidnapped in broad daylight just outside the college, it will be difficult for many women to continue their education."

The Delhi Police has failed to take immediate cognizance of the matter and it must step up its efforts to ensure that the student is found as soon as possible. Patrolling around the area is done just during the DUSU election time. The lethargic attitude of the police has prompted such incidents.

Madhurima Kundu, AISA DU Secretary said "The issue of safety of DU students, especially women, should be a matter for serious concern for the DU administration and the Delhi Police. But both have failed us. AISA will take up the issue and carry forward the struggle to ensure that effective mechanisms are put in place to ensure the safety of women students of DU. Also, in no way will we allow any caging and moral policing of women in the name of safety. We want safety with freedom."

However, it is not the first time such incident have taken place in DU colleges, a few days ago, a PhD student was stabbed around midnight. A law student was attacked by a group of people a month ago. Both the incidents happened around North Campus. Students of many girls colleges have complained about repeated and continuous incidents of stalking and harassment around their colleges and in the buses.