Institutional inaction, 'culture of impunity' surrounding sexual violence in Delhi: Feminist alliance
The All-India Feminist Alliance (ALIFA) has expressed solidarity with thousands of women students who have taken part in a series of protests across Delhi University campuses following the alleged gang rape of a 17-year-old girl at Aastha Kunj Park near Kalkaji Mandir on September 21, demanding stronger institutional safeguards, improved policing and accountability from authorities.
In a statement, ALIFA said the protests reflected growing concern among young women over their safety in public spaces and criticised what it described as institutional inaction and a “culture of impunity” surrounding sexual violence. The organisation called for systemic measures to prevent violence against women and persons of marginalised genders rather than restrictions on their movement, education or access to public spaces.
The incident that triggered the protests occurred on the evening of September 21, when a 17-year-old girl was allegedly sexually assaulted by three men inside Aastha Kunj Park. According to the first information report and police accounts reported by multiple media outlets, the men allegedly posed as police officers, separated the girl from her male friend and took her towards a secluded area of the park. All three accused were subsequently arrested, according to Delhi Police. One of the accused was shot in the leg during an encounter with police after allegedly opening fire at a police team.
The case has also brought scrutiny to security arrangements at Aastha Kunj Park, a large green space near Kalkaji Temple. Reports have highlighted concerns about inadequate lighting, limited security personnel and gaps in surveillance and patrolling. Police have also investigated allegations that at least one of the accused had previously been seen harassing people in the park.
The incident prompted protests by students at several Delhi University colleges. On September 23, students, primarily from colleges in South Delhi including Lady Shri Ram College for Women and Gargi College, participated in a demonstration following the assault. LSR students had also raised concerns about security around the college and surrounding roads after classes were temporarily shifted online in the aftermath of the incident.
Further demonstrations followed on September 25, when women students from several colleges, including LSR, Gargi College, Miranda House and Kamala Nehru College, marched from the Kamala Nehru College area. Students called for improved street lighting, better access to public transport and safer public spaces while opposing measures that would place additional restrictions on women’s movement instead of addressing security deficiencies.
Protests continued around LSR and Gargi College and expanded to North Campus on September 28 and 29. Hundreds of students gathered at the Faculty of Arts, while a larger women-led mobilisation brought together students from several Delhi University colleges. Reports said participants marched through North Campus in the rain, raising concerns about unsafe roads, poorly monitored stretches and the broader restrictions women face in moving through the city after dark.
ALIFA said the protests should be understood as a demand not merely for immediate repairs or additional police presence but for a broader transformation of how institutions respond to sexual violence. The organisation argued that closing college gates earlier, imposing curfews, shifting classes online or otherwise limiting women’s mobility cannot constitute a long-term safety strategy.
“A safe and accessible city is marked by how people; especially women and persons of marginalized genders can use its streets, parks, public transport and other shared spaces without having to calculate which routes or hours are safe for them,” ALIFA said.
The organisation urged authorities to focus greater attention on perpetrators and those who enable abusive behaviour rather than questioning women about their clothing, movements, relationships, character or decisions to use public spaces. It said women’s safety required functioning streetlights, effective policing, responsive civic authorities, safer campuses and neighbourhoods, and mechanisms capable of preventing and responding to violence.
ALIFA also criticised what it described as instances in which people accused of violence have links to police personnel, influential social groups or political actors. The organisation alleged that such connections can contribute to perpetrators believing they will escape accountability. The statement did not provide case-specific evidence establishing such links in the Aastha Kunj Park case, and the allegations should therefore be understood as ALIFA’s broader political assessment rather than an independently established finding.
The organisation further pointed to reports of sexual violence involving girls and women in other parts of the country, including Bihar and Rajasthan, arguing that the concerns raised by Delhi students formed part of a wider national problem. It said public places including streets, parks, hospitals, educational institutions and other shared spaces should be made safer rather than increasingly restricted for women.
ALIFA called on the Delhi administration, Delhi Police and educational institutions to ensure that rape cases are investigated and tried within the timeframes prescribed by law while protecting survivors’ identity and dignity throughout the legal process. For cases involving minors, it called for prompt investigation, survivor confidentiality, legal assistance, access to a support person and counselling, as well as protection from repeated or hostile questioning under the applicable legal framework, including the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.
The organisation also demanded that authorities make public complaints, safety audits, requests for repairs to lighting and relevant patrol records concerning Aastha Kunj Park and its surrounding routes for the preceding year, together with details of action taken on those complaints. It said such information would help establish whether security hazards had previously been reported and, if so, why they had not been addressed before the September 21 assault.
ALIFA opposed any response by colleges, universities or hostels that restricts women’s mobility following sexual-violence complaints, including tighter curfews or earlier closing times. Instead, it called for all-night police patrolling, involving both women and men officers trained in gender-sensitive policing, as well as restoration and maintenance of lighting and patrol coverage around Aastha Kunj Park, the route connecting it to Kalkaji Mandir and areas surrounding women’s colleges and university campuses across Delhi.
The demands come amid heightened public scrutiny of security arrangements in Delhi following the Aastha Kunj case. Delhi Police has reportedly directed officials to identify dark areas and examine CCTV coverage, while subsequent reporting has highlighted deficiencies in security infrastructure at several parks.
For the students involved in the demonstrations, the issue has increasingly been framed as one of freedom of movement rather than simply campus security. Their protests have challenged the idea that women can be made safer primarily by limiting where and when they travel, arguing instead for public spaces in which women can study, work, commute and socialise without having to modify their lives around the threat of violence.
ALIFA said it would continue to support the students’ campaign and press authorities for answers and systemic safeguards. It said the Aastha Kunj Park assault required justice for the survivor but should also prompt lasting improvements to public spaces used by women in Delhi and elsewhere in India.
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