Woman gives up LSR dream over parents' safety fears after Kalkaji gang rape
After the horrific gang rape of a 17-year-old girl in Delhi’s Kalkaji triggered protests around Lady Shri Ram College for Women (LSR) last week, a young woman has shared a post recalling how she gave up her chance to study at the prestigious college because her parents feared for her safety.
The protests came days after the girl was sexually assaulted by three men posing as cops at Aastha Kunj Park near Kalkaji Mandir. The incident also sparked concerns over security around the college, particularly after one of the accused was apprehended near LSR’s back gate.
Amodini Rathore, meanwhile, shared her experience on LinkedIn, recalled how devastated she was when her parents refused to let her attend LSR. She had been a merit holder and had spent years focusing on her studies, viewing admission to the college as the result of years of doing the “right” things.
“I cried so badly the day my parents refused to send me to Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi. It felt like the worst day of my life,” Amodini said.
Her parents had warned her that “the world is not as safe as I think it is” and that she was not prepared to deal with it alone. At the time, Amodini said she felt that her hard work was being overshadowed by fear and believed her parents were wrong.
But the recent events around LSR have made her rethink that belief.
“Today, when my entire feed is filled with what happened near LSR, I’m not so sure anymore,” she said, adding: “Because now the fear they had doesn’t sound irrational. It sounds real.”
Then, Amodini questioned: “Every time something this horrific happens, why is the response to control access of women instead of fixing the system?”
She argued that telling women not to go out late, avoid certain places or stay away from public spaces simply shifts the burden of safety onto them: “We keep redesigning women’s lives around danger instead of eliminating the danger itself.”
She also questioned what it means for women who work hard to earn educational opportunities if safety concerns can ultimately prevent them from taking those opportunities.
“Because if a girl like me can do everything right, earn her place at a college like LSR and still have to give it up because a city feels unsafe to her parents, then what exactly are we working towards?” she wrote.
Read her post here: Her post came as security around LSR was heightened following the girl’s gang rape at Aastha Kunj Park.
Police said three men — Asif, Hemant and his younger brother Mukesh — were arrested in connection with the case. The men posed as policemen before approaching the teenager and her male friend at the park, before separating the girl from her friend and taking her to a secluded area.
LSR has since sought increased police patrolling around the campus, while police personnel, including women officers and PCR vans, have been deployed in the area.- Ends
