Another molestation case rocks BHU, two youths arrested

VARANASI Two youths were arrested on Tuesday for allegedly molesting a female student aged around 20 years when she was out on a walk with her friend near the agricultural ground at Banaras Hindu University (BHU) on Monday night. The accused, identified as Sanjay Sahni, 19, and Vimlesh Sahni, 20, were nabbed from near the campus. A search had been launched for their accomplice who was on the run, said Shivakant Mishra, station officer, Lanka police station.
According to a complaint lodged by the student, she was with a friend when three bike-borne youths, in an inebriated state, tried to touch her inappropriately and made obscene comments on her. The accused fled when the student and her friend raised an alarm. She also informed the proctorial board about the incident, after which the team reached the spot immediately.
Based on the complaint, a case was filed against unidentified persons under Section 74 (use of criminal force or assault against a woman with the intent to outrage her modesty) of the BNS at the Lanka police station here, said cops.
BHU chief proctor Shiv Prakash Singh said, “As soon as information about the incident was received, a team of proctorial board visited the spot and spoke to the victim, and police were informed. Security arrangements are being upgraded on the campus to prevent any such incident in future and the administration is making continuous efforts to ensure foolproof security for female students.”
The Monday episode is reminiscent of the November 2, 2023 incident when a female student was allegedly molested and stripped by motorcycle-borne men while she was walking with a male friend on the IIT-BHU campus. The accused then stripped the woman, made a video of her and clicked photos. They let her go after 15 minutes and took her phone number, the complaint stated.
Hundreds of students staged a protest near Rajputana Hostel following the alleged incident, demanding enhanced security measures and an entry ban on outsiders.
The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) unit at the BHU, along with its members, joined the protest and called for swift identification of the accused and the enforcement of strict legal action against them.
Two months after the incident, the Uttar Pradesh police arrested three people and charged them with gang-rape for allegedly sexually assaulting a student on the Indian Institute of Technology (Banaras Hindu University) campus in November. The arrests triggered a political row, with the Opposition saying that the accused were being shielded as they were linked to the BJP, a charge denied by the ruling party.