Muzaffarpur Institute of Technology students stage a dharna on the campus on Friday. Picture by Gopi Raman

Girls studying at Muzaffarpur Institute of Technology on Thursday night launched an indefinite protest against eve-teasing on campus.

Around 100 students, mostly hostel boarders, alleged that they have been subjected to harassment on the institute’s campus for the past one year. The tormentors, including youths from the boys’ hostels on the campus and outside, pass lewd comments at them.

“The tormentors move on the campus and make objectionable remarks at us when we go to attend classes. Such incidents have become a routine affair. The institute authorities have, however, turned a deaf ear to our complaints,” said a second-year student of the institute.

The girls’ decision to sit on an indefinite dharna demanding action against the tormentors was taken after some youths tried to molest a girl on Thursday evening. “What is more shocking is that even police have failed to take any action against the tormentors,” she added.

A written complaint has been lodged at Brahmapura police station against six students of the institution, who the victims said were regular offenders. The callous attitude of the police forced the girls to resort to indefinite agitation on Thursday night, one of them told The Telegraph over phone on Friday.

The protesters also submitted a written complaint to the Muzaffarpur district magistrate (DM), Anupam Kumar, on Friday demanding adequate security for the girls and disciplinary action against those involved in harassing them. “We are feeling unsafe and apprehend more trouble in the days to come,” the complaint read.

The petition to the DM identified the six alleged tormentors as Abhinav (civil engineering), Raj Kumar (electronics and communication), Alok Kumar (information technology), Suraj (civil engineering), Jayant (information technology) and Anand Raman (civil engineering).

According to the petition, the tormentors crossed limits on Thursday night when they attempted to barge into the girls’ hostel. “We tried to draw the attention of the college administration several times but in vain,” the complaint stated, adding that some girls left the institute’s hostel fearing attack. Signed by 27 girls, the petition stated some other students were also involved in the crime.

B.K. Arya, a senior teacher of the institute, said the college administration has taken a serious note of the girls’ complaints and pledged to take stern action against the offenders. “We have received written complaints from the girl boarders,” said Arya, also a hostel warden.

He, however, said he was not aware of the girls complaining to the administration over harassment on campus over the past year. “Had it been the case, the situation would not have aggravated to such an extent,” he said. Muzaffarpur Institute of Technology principal Kumar Surendra was unavailable for comment.

Muzaffarpur senior superintendent of police Saurav Kumar confirmed that a written complaint had been submitted to the Brahmapura police station against some boarders of the institute’s boys’ hotels. “Instructions have been issued to the station house officer (SHO) concerned to initiate action against the accused at the earliest,” he said.

He claimed that the girls agreed to lift their protest on the assurances of the SHO concerned, who visited the spot on Kumar’s instructions, on Friday. He described the situation on the campus as normal and under control. At the time of filing the report, sources said, the girls’ protest on the campus continued.