Students at Delhi University (DU) have been talking about a new video that shows a man stabbing a 22-year-old student. Outside her paying guest (PG) lodging on Hudson Lane, close to Mukherjee Nagar, the victim was stabbed.
Although the incident is still being investigated, there is a pressing need to increase public knowledge of self-defense, and college administrators are reaching out to Delhi Police officials for support.
We regularly teach self-defense in both schools and colleges. However, since this incident became public, we have been inundated with requests to hold similar training sessions," says Kiran Sethi, the Delhi Police sub-inspector in charge of the GB Road All-Women Police Station. "In particular, Janki Devi Memorial College, Lady Irwin College, Mata Sundri College For Women, and Zakir Husain Delhi College have put in requests," continues Sethi, who has trained over ten lakh young women. The first week of April will see training programs at these colleges.
"Such incidents require us to have a multi-pronged approach, which includes self-defence classes for women," says Bijayalaxmi Nanda, principal of Miranda House. For this month's conclusion, a workshop on women's safety was organized for NCWEB and non-collegiate students. However, as soon as the midterm break ends, all students will attend an orientation led by the internal committees and the gender sensitization committee.
Students express worry that the voluntary nature of these seminars offered by colleges discourages young people from attending. Palak Dagar, a member of the Women Development Cell (WDC) and a final-year student at Zakir Husain Delhi College, agrees, These sessions have been sporadically organized, usually with sports teachers in charge, ever since I applied to DU. In order to encourage more students to enroll and develop their self-defense skills, we are committed to only inviting seasoned trainers.
For others, the event served as a catalyst for action to prioritize the safety of women. Second-year Hansraj College student Aakansha Nehra, a member of the WDC, adds, "We had plans in place for our fest, scheduled for April 5 and 6." However, the stabbing incident forced us to rethink our initial plan and center it around street harassment and raising awareness of women's safety.
Sethi emphasizes the value of these workshops further, saying that young ladies need to be prepared to defend themselves against attackers, whether they are pushy strangers approaching from the front or creeps on the bus or metro.
Safety tips
If someone is attacking you from behind, give them a powerful kick to the foot or strike them in the nose with an elbow.
Use your arm to block assaults from the front. Punch them in the nose or eyes with your fist.
Kick the attacker's kneecap, instep, or shin.
Use items to poke their chin or thighs, such as hairpins, keys, nail filer, or pens.
