SFI slams govt, police after acid attack near Delhi's Laxmibai College

New Delhi, Oct 26 (PTI) The Students' Federation of India (SFI), Delhi University, on Sunday condemned the acid attack on a woman near Laxmibai College, terming it a "reflection of systemic negligence and indifference" by authorities responsible for ensuring women's safety in the national capital.

According to police, a 20-year-old woman sustained burn injuries on her hands after being attacked with acid allegedly by her stalker and his accomplices outside Laxmibai College in northwest Delhi's Ashok Vihar area earlier in the day.

A case has been registered and efforts are on to trace the accused, officials said.

In an official statement, the SFI said the "horrific" incident exposed the "absolute failure of the government, Delhi Police and the administrative establishment" to provide even basic security for women, especially in and around educational institutions.

"It is alarming that such an act could be carried out in broad daylight, right outside a women's college, in a city that has repeatedly witnessed similar acts of violence," the students' group said.

The SFI cited earlier incidents, including a case where a bottle of acid was found near Miranda House, another women's institution, to highlight how "the threat of such violence has remained constant and unaddressed." Calling the attack a result of "systemic failure", the organisation said that "no political entity has shown genuine commitment towards women's safety beyond tokenistic gestures and empty slogans." The student group also criticised the previous Delhi University Students' Union (DUSU) leadership, accusing it of focusing on "theatrics and partisan politics" instead of working for security and gender justice on campus.

SFI DU demanded immediate and stringent action against those involved in the attack and accountability from the authorities responsible for the safety of students.

"The continuous failure to ensure women's safety in Delhi is not just incompetence '” it must be called out for what it is, complicity," the statement said. PTI MHS OZ OZ