All the 22 female students of Patna Law College have stopped attending classes for a week following violence on the college campus. Two groups of male students clashed over sexual harassment incident on the campus which has left fear in the female students of the fifth semester, as a result, they have stopped going to college to take classes since September 25.
The girls also approached the principal and informed him about the incident but could not gather enough courage to send a written complaint against the group behind the incident.
“We’re afraid of making a written complaint as it could create problems for us. We will go to class once the situation improves,” said one of the students.
Two student groups, one led by a fifth-semester student and another by a third-semester student, had indulged into a violent fight on September 25. According to reports, a student from the third semester had allegedly teased a female student from the fifth semester. This had incited the fifth-semester students and they attacked the students of the third semester at a reaction to their mischief at the Patna Law College hostel in retaliation.
The entire stretch of the Law College road turned into a battlefield with both groups attacking each other with bricks, hockey sticks, and wooden poles. However, the college administration has suspended two students who led each group, for a month.
“The Patna Law College council has debarred both students from attending class for a month. The college council has issued a letter to senior university officials, including the vice-chancellor, Patna senior superintendent of police and Sultanganj police station house officer (SHO) to check any untoward incident. We have also requested the district administration to set up police pickets to check such incidents,” said Patna Law College principal Mohammad Sharif.
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According to sources, the police look reluctant in taking actions against the groups involved in the clashes because of political pressure. A minister from the ruling JDU is said to be supporting one group, while the other group is supposedly backed by the RJD. However, Sultanganj SHO Dinesh Chandra Srivastava has denied any report of police inaction.
“The police conducted raids to arrest the two students who led the clashing groups but they fled. The police are ready to give security to girl students if they complain against students involved in the eve-teasing incident,” said Sultanganj SHO Dinesh Chandra Srivastava.
