Students protest balloon-throwing, police promises action

New Delhi : Menaced by balloon-throwing ahead of Holi, girl students from Delhi University (DU) held demonstrations at several places on Thursday and were joined by activists and teachers in their demand for a stricter attitude towards the revellers.

The girl students of Jesus and Mary College and Lady Shri Ram college -- who held demonstrations at the police headquarters and Amar Colony police station, respectively -- were joined by many Delhi University teachers in their protests, who decried the lack of supervision and deterrent measures to check such vulgar activities.

"We demand increased police patrolling during Holi and marshals in buses as were promised," Maya John, history teacher at JMC, told IANS outside the police headquarters at ITO.

"I think residential societies should also be directed to hold meetings to sensitise their members as balloon throwing is rampant in societies where Holi meets are organised," she said.

The protest by JMC students was triggered by an incident in Sagarpur area on Wednesday, when a girl travelling in a bus was hit with a balloon, allegedly filled with urine. Some reports said semen was also used, but this could not be verified.

Including the February 24 incident (the first one to emerge), when a Lady Shri Ram (LSR) student had posted a picture of her on social media with a story of how she was hit with a semen-filled balloon, three girls have complained of being hit with balloons, filled with either urine or semen, and two of them have approached police.

Speaking to IANS, a senior police official said they have received one complaint so far (at Amar Colony police station) and the perpetrator was found to be a 21-year-old woman, who had thrown the balloon at the LSR sociology student on Wednesday.

He said they were verifying if the balloon was filled with any body fluid and assured that appropriate force would be mobilised to ensure protection of women on Holi.

"We will deploy about 1,000 personnel -- including women personnel -- to prevent any untoward incident on Holi. We will also place barricades at several places to deal with hooligans in automobiles also," Delhi Commissioner of Police (south-east) Chinmoy Biswal told IANS.

The student who accompanied the complainant said she was not sure whether the balloon was filled with any body fluid -- semen or urine as reported in the media -- but it was "something gooey and sticky".

The Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) Chairperson also wrote to the Delhi Police Commissioner asking him to "ensure safety and security of women and girls in Delhi" and issued a notice to the SHO Amar Colony "on the LSR-semen-flinging case."

-- IANS
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