TNN
New Delhi, Nov 20: That the city remains unsafe for women was once again shockingly evident on Monday November 19, when an incident of eve-teasing ended in a horrible tragedy, claiming the life of an 18-year-old student of Delhi University’s Aditi Mahavidyalaya.
The student, Pearl Gupta, was pushed on to the middle of the road when the leering man on a scooter came charging at her and her friend. And a passing Blueline, which the cops say was overspeeding, killed her on the spot, right in front of her college on Bawana Road in outer Delhi.
The incident took place around noon, when Pearl was walking to college with a friend, Parul. The girls, both first-year students of BSW (Bachelor of Social Work), had just got off a DTC bus on route no 113.
A shaken Parul recalled the incident: "Barely 20 metres from the college gate, a scooterist came from the wrong side and tried to drive between me and Pearl. He was passing lewd comments. We both fell - I got pushed to the footpath, Pearl fell on the road. A Blueline coming at full speed crushed her head. By the time I ran to her, she had died. The scooterist fled; the bus driver jumped off the bus in panic and ran away.”
Agitated students from the college gathered on the main road and threw stones at the bus. They blocked the road for three hours and additional force in riot gear had to be called in to control the students. "Even as we are standing here in such a large number, some young men are trying to pass comments. And the police say they need the ACP’s order to stop this," said Renu, a BA (pass) second-year student.
Finally, senior police officers went to the college and announced that the bus driver and owner had been arrested. They also assured the principal that steps would be taken to ensure the safety of the girls. Only then was the road opened.
"Seconds after the accident, I ran to cops seated in the beat box opposite the college but they refused to budge and the scooterist got away. Only when I returned with other students and teachers, they were forced to come to the site," said Pearl’s classmate Priyanka, who was in the same DTC bus.