Students at Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) continued to protest on Friday over the incident where an unknown individual masturbated while looking at female students on the university premises near Marathi Language Bhavan, despite the arrest of the accused, Anis Gaikwad (27), from his residence in Sangvi.
Students made serious allegations against the police and university administration, claiming that the arrest was made only to close the matter. However, they claimed that victims are still unaware of whether Anis Gaikwad is the person who committed the obscene act or if the police have arrested someone else just to divert attention.
One of the students, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said, "Our complaint was ignored. After two days of the incident, the police arrested a person named Anis Gaikwad."
When the students approached the security guard to complain about the incident, they were asked irrelevant questions. "Why is the face of the arrested person not being disclosed to us (the victims)? At least we can authenticate whether the police have arrested the right person or not," the student added.
Police have this to say
Vijayanand Patil, Senior Police Inspector of Chatursungi Police Station, speaking to the Free Press Journal, said, "A female security guard from the university lodged a police complaint on Thursday evening. Accordingly, a case was registered under section 75 (sexual harassment) of BNS at Chatursungi Police Station."
"Within a few hours of the police complaint, the accused was arrested after following the CCTV footage from the university premises. He arrived at the incident spot alone on a two-wheeler," he added.
Vice Chancellor Suresh Gosavi, speaking to FPJ, said, "Regarding the protest and student demand, we are working on addressing the issue. Soon, the matter will be resolved, and we will clarify the situation to the media."
On Tuesday night (March 25), an unknown person committed an obscene act in front of three female students who were passing near Marathi Language Bhawan. Following the incident, the students approached the hostel security staff, but their complaints were ignored. Moreover, the students claimed that the university administration also declined their complaint on Thursday, leading to protests at Ambedkar Bhawan in the university.
Eventually, a security staff member made a police complaint on Thursday evening, and the police arrested the accused. However, students alleged that they are unsure if the arrested person is the same individual who committed the crime.
