Every morning, young women in Delhi step out with aspirations in their hearts and books in their hands, yet often, a chilling fear shadows their steps. This fear became a stark reality again on Sunday when a 20-year-old Delhi University student suffered a brutal acid attack right outside Laxmi Bai College in Ashok Vihar. The incident has ripped open a familiar and agonizing question: Can India’s capital truly ensure the safety of its female students?
Despite its proud status as India’s education capital, Delhi consistently falls short in protecting its young women. The daily threats faced by female students—from stalking and sexual harassment to poorly lit streets and sluggish legal processes—have sadly become an expected part of life. This recent acid attack isn’t an isolated act of brutality; it’s another link in a relentless chain of violence, laying bare the capital’s empty promises of safety, accountability, and dignity for women.
The victim, a second-year student from Mukundpur, was merely on her way to college when three men ambushed her. What ensued was more than just a cruel act; it was a profound blow to the collective sense of security that Delhi’s students, particularly its women, have been desperately seeking for years.
Attack in Broad Daylight
According to Delhi Police, the victim was approaching the campus when a man identified as Jitender, accompanied by two acquaintances, Ishan and Arman, arrived on a motorcycle.
In her statement to ANI, the woman recounted that Ishan passed a bottle to Arman, who then callously threw acid on her. Though she attempted to shield her face, both her hands sustained injuries. The attackers immediately fled the scene.
The victim further informed the police that Jitender had been stalking and harassing her, and they had a heated argument approximately a month prior. She is currently undergoing treatment at Deep Chand Bandhu Hospital.
Crime and Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) teams promptly inspected the attack site. Following the woman’s statement and the severity of her injuries, a case has been registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and a full investigation is now in progress.
A Reflection of Systemic Indifference, Says SFI
The Students’ Federation of India (SFI) at Delhi University issued a strong condemnation of the incident via PTI, characterizing it as a stark ‘reflection of systemic negligence and indifference’ from the very authorities charged with ensuring women’s safety.
“It is utterly alarming,” the SFI stated, “that such a heinous act could be committed in broad daylight, directly outside a women’s college, within a city that has tragically seen countless similar acts of violence.”
The organization pointed to previous alarming incidents, such as the discovery of an acid bottle near Miranda House, to emphasize the persistent insecurity on Delhi’s college campuses despite widespread public outrage. The SFI attributed the city’s ongoing failure to safeguard women to ‘tokenistic gestures and empty slogans,’ further criticizing past university student union leaders for prioritizing ‘theatrics and partisan politics over genuine gender justice.’
“The persistent failure to guarantee women’s safety in Delhi transcends mere incompetence; it borders on complicity,” the statement concluded.
NCW Demands Swift Arrests, Medical and Psychological Aid
Taking suo motu cognizance of the case, the National Commission for Women (NCW) wrote to the Delhi Police Commissioner, seeking an Action Taken Report within five days. The NCW has directed that:
- The accused must be immediately arrested and prosecuted under all applicable laws.
- The victim should receive comprehensive medical treatment, financial compensation, psychological counseling, and long-term rehabilitation through the Delhi Victim Compensation Scheme.
- Police must ensure strict adherence to Sections 357A and 357C of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), which specifically outline victim protection and compensation.
Categorizing acid attacks as ‘among the most brutal crimes against women,’ the NCW unequivocally asserted that such heinous acts demand zero tolerance and exemplary punishment.
Outside the Campus but Inside the Fear Zone
The college proctor, speaking to ANI, confirmed that while the attack occurred off-campus, the incident has deeply disturbed the entire student body. “We are fully cooperating with the police and dedicated to ensuring all affected students receive necessary support,” the official stated.
Nevertheless, a more pervasive worry persists: even the areas immediately surrounding educational institutions are no longer considered safe for women. A combination of broken streetlights, inadequate police patrolling, and sluggish response systems continues to expose critical systemic flaws in how student safety is managed throughout Delhi.
When “Student Life” Means Walking with Fear
Delhi’s standing as India’s premier education hub is increasingly marred by its appalling safety record. A Performance Grading Index for Districts (PGI-D), published by the Union Education Ministry in June 2025, shockingly revealed that North East Delhi—a major student hub—scored a dismal 23 out of 35 points for safety, marking it as the capital’s absolute lowest.
This comprehensive index, which evaluated 788 districts across the nation, pinpointed Delhi’s safety infrastructure as a ‘systemic concern.’ The low score directly reflects the persistent incidents plaguing university areas, including acid attacks, harassment, and numerous reports of stalking near women’s colleges.
Education experts emphasize that these alarming scores are more than mere statistics; they are poignant indicators of the profound, daily fear that defines student life in Delhi. The data underscores how insufficient safety infrastructure and feeble enforcement persistently erode the very sense of security that educational environments are supposed to foster.
A Generation Demanding Safety, Not Slogans
From the harrowing 2012 Nirbhaya case to a decade marked by numerous acid attacks, Delhi’s assurances of ‘safe streets’ and ‘women-friendly campuses’ have tragically remained just empty rhetoric.
Student organizations are now vociferously demanding tangible interventions, such as mandatory safe-route audits, comprehensive CCTV surveillance around women’s colleges, improved street lighting, increased police patrols, and crucial gender sensitization programs across all campuses.
This disturbing pattern of crimes against female students starkly highlights the chasm between promises and actual implementation. It raises urgent questions about the true commitment of the capital’s institutions to safety, beyond mere official statements and press releases.
The Urgent Question
As Delhi grapples with the shock of yet another acid attack—this time outside a college frequented by thousands of young women daily—the critical question extends far beyond simply apprehending three individuals on a motorcycle.
It demands to know why, despite years of public outrage, new laws, and awareness campaigns, female students in India’s capital are still forced to weigh their personal safety every single time they leave their homes to pursue an education.
Until this profound question is not just acknowledged but genuinely addressed with decisive action, Delhi’s classrooms, campuses, and college gates will tragically remain overshadowed by fear.