1 day ago
Women Students’ Daily Commutes Expose Safety Gaps Across Delhi
Many women students in Delhi have trouble getting safely between college and home.
Buses that take them to college in the morning may not be available when classes finish.
This can force students to walk through quiet areas or search for autos and e-rickshaws.
Some students also say they feel unsafe on the Metro and on roads near their colleges.
Poor lighting, missing police personnel and harassment add to their worries.
Recent reports of sexual assaults have made these fears stronger.
Some colleges now tell students to leave campus only in groups.
Hostel curfews also mean that many students avoid going out after dark.
Women students at Delhi University describe unreliable buses, difficult last-mile travel, poor lighting and street harassment.
Students say feeder buses often run toward colleges in the morning but not toward home when classes end around 4 pm.
The Delhi government’s 26-bus U-Special service lacks publicly available data on usage, occupancy and cancellations, students say.
Students report feeling unsafe on isolated roads, in parts of South Campus, on the Delhi Metro and near some college boundaries.
Several colleges have advised students to travel in groups, while hostel curfews restrict movement after dark.
- Who
- Women students at Delhi University and students at other Delhi colleges, including nursing students at Rajkumari Amrit Kaur College of Nursing.
- What
- Students are reporting unsafe and unreliable daily travel, including gaps in buses, poor last-mile connectivity, isolated stretches and harassment.
- Where
- Across Delhi, including South Campus, Chanakyapuri, Lajpat Nagar IV, Satya Niketan and areas around individual colleges.
- When
- The concerns have been reported since classes began in August; Kirti Sharma described a bus journey on September 18.
- Why
- Students say transport gaps, poor lighting, limited police presence, harassment and recent sexual-assault cases make commuting difficult and require heightened vigilance.
Key facts
- Affected students
- Women students commuting to and from Delhi colleges, particularly scattered off-campus institutions.
- Bus gap
- Students say morning feeder buses may not have corresponding services around 4 pm, when colleges usually finish.
- U-Special buses
- The Delhi government’s U-Special Bus Service has 26 buses, according to the report.
- Reported infrastructure concerns
- Students cite poorly lit stretches, deserted pink booths, missing police personnel and non-working CCTV cameras.
- Group-travel guidance
- Several colleges have instructed women students to move outside campus in groups.
- Hostel curfew
- Students at Rajkumari Amrit Kaur College of Nursing reported a 6:30 pm curfew for residential accommodation.
- Recent events
- An alleged gangrape of a 17-year-old in a South Delhi DDA park and other sexual-assault cases involving minors have intensified concerns.
Quotes
A first-year student from Lady Shri Ram College for Women
A first-year Delhi University student describing insecurity on public transport and across the city.
“I take the metro every day and you feel unsafe even inside the coaches. This isn’t just about a particular college backlane or a park. Anywhere you go in this city, you are forced to be hypervigilant… we cannot let our guard down.”
indianexpress.com
“At that hour, there are simply no buses available. They all head away in the opposite direction.”
indianexpress.com
Yangzom
A first-year Rajkumari Amrit Kaur College of Nursing student from Tibet.
“It has barely been a day since we arrived, and the very first instruction we received was about stepping out cautiously. With everything happening in the area, our seniors and faculty emphasised that no one should walk around alone outside the gates.”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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