New Delhi: First came the slogans. Then came the rain. Umbrellas shot open across the crowd, handwritten placards were pulled closer and some students tried to shield their posters from the sudden downpour.
She said her parents did not want her to attend the demonstration despite it taking place during the day, citing safety concerns. “I cut the call and came,” she said. What do they do to provoke someone?” she said. Among them was Aryan, a Ramjas College student, who said changing attitudes among men was fundamental to addressing the problem. That’s what is of fundamental importance,” he said. Sahil, a student of Kirori Mal College, said the conversation needed to move away from asking women to rearrange their lives around unsafe conditions. This is so basic and still, they have to agitate for it,” he said.
For Sparshika, a Hansraj College student whose parents are in Dehradun, simply turning up was itself a decision. “We want basic things like being able to move out freely. If I don’t take this step now, my children will suffer even more. For Shefali, another DU student, the problem also lay in the questions routinely directed at women after incidents of violence. “I find it ridiculous when people link the safety of women to their clothes and timings. What about children who are attacked? Though women remained at the centre of the march, a considerable number of men gathered along its periphery. Some walked at a distance, while others clapped and cheered as the slogans grew louder. “The mindset of men needs to change. “The problem needs to be dealt with from the core. Nobody should have to see the timing before stepping out. By the time the crowd reached Daulat Ram College, the rain had transformed the scene, but not the march. Clothes were soaked, handwritten posters had begun to curl at the edges and umbrellas jostled for space above the crowd. Some students squeezed beneath them, while others continued walking in the rain, drenched but still chanting.
7 before marching towards the Faculty of Arts gate opposite Daulat Ram College. At 3pm Monday, Delhi University ’s Faculty of Arts became the starting point for another assertion by women that safety cannot come at the cost of their freedom. Under the banner ‘Hum Auratein Azaad Hain’, women from various colleges and members of the queer community gathered at Gate No. The march eventually culminated at the Swami Vivekananda statue, where several women climbed onto the pedestal around it, placards held high as chants continued below. Last week, women from several DU colleges had marched near Kamala Nehru College and LSR College, calling for safer streets, better lighting and accessible public transport, while opposing measures restricting women’s movement after dark. Monday’s demonstration came with a clear set of guidelines underlining that offensive language and sexist, misogynistic, casteist, homophobic or transphobic slurs, slogans or banners would not be tolerated. AI-generated posters and other media were also barred.