Students of Lady Shri Ram College for Women will be returning to physical classes from Thursday onwards, after a one-day switch to the virtual mode, according to representatives of the student union.
The classes were suspended by midday on Sept 21, 2026 (Tuesday) after one of the alleged perpetrators of the Astha Kunj rape incident was found taking refuge in a residential area just behind the college.
The area, known as Amar Colony, has a heavy concentration of LSR students living in paying guesthouses (PGs) and rented flats. It is one of the four main areas, including Greater Kailash, Kailash Colony and National Park, inhabited by female students from LSR, Gargi and Kamla Nehru College.
Three men allegedly raped a 17-year-old minor girl inside the Aastha Kunj Park near Kalkaji Mandir on Monday evening. The college is situated just about 2 kilometres from the spot.
After the police reached the location to apprehend the accused, one of them ran and hid in Amar Colony. On being caught, the alleged perpetrator sustained injuries after a brief exchange of fire between him and the police. The accused include brothers Hemanth and Mukesh, and Asif, who was shot.
"I think basically many of our students stay near Aastha Kunj, and moreover the shooting happened right at the back gate, so students are shaken," said one of the teaching faculty members at LSR on the condition of anonymity.
The incident has stirred anxieties and fears in the minds of students and teachers alike regarding the safety conditions in the heart of South Delhi, generally viewed as the safer part of the National Capital Region.
The brief shift to online classes was done to respect these anxieties, and offline classes will be resumed from Thursday onwards, according to people in the know.
Gunshots could be heard by members of LSR's National Sports Organisation (NSO) who tend to come early in the morning at around 7 a.m., according to a third-year student.
In the past week itself, there have been a string of cases related to sexual violence against minors in Delhi, including the assault of a 6-year-old girl on Deshbandhu Gupta Road, rape of a 16-year-old girl in Saurabh Nagar, and assault of an 11-year-old in Sadar Bazar.
In light of these incidents, LSR students are organising a solidarity march to support the victims and demand greater safety for women.
"LSR is just a locus point, but this issue is not limited to us. We reject the idea that a patriarchal society can tell us what to wear, eat, say, think, and what time of night we can go out in. We reject the notion of victim blaming, and we come together to fight against it," the student union outlined.
Essential Business Intelligence, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice, Daily Fuel, Gold and Silver Prices and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.
