Following the molestation of a second-year Fine Arts student last evening, almost 500 students of the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) staged a protest at the Lanka gate since this morning demanding strict action against those guilty.

“The security guard was 10 metres away. But neither did he leave his seat nor did he stop the molesters,” the victim said in her complaint. She added that she could not see the number plate of the bike as the light was low. She walked in a half-conscious condition to her friends who then dropped her to the hostel.

After taking the girl to the hostel, her friends went to the guard and his response was shocking. “Why do you go out after 6 pm and invite molesters? I haven’t seen any such thing,” said the student, who wished to be anonymous.

The students then submitted a letter to Chief Proctor O N Singh where they mentioned all their demands as this has been happening on a daily basis. “Instead of taking proper action over the complaint, the proctor was unsympathetic,” alleged students. When the administration didn’t act, students resorted to protest.

With Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s convoy expected to go through the university main gate, which was blocked by students, hundreds of policemen reached the spot and tried persuading the students to vacate the area but to no avail. Singh reached the protest spot and promised to set up a committee to look into the matter. But students stayed adamant and demanded a written response from the administration. The protest is still going on.