Provide security to Richa Singh: NCW to UP Police

ALLAHABAD: National Commission for Women (NCW) chairperson Rekha Sharma has written to UP Police with a request to provide security to former Allahabad University Students’ Union (AUSU) president Richa Singh, days after the latter complained to the body about alleged lapses in security in the varsity’s women’s hostels.
The development comes two days after a five-member committee from NCW visited the Women’s Hostel premises for an inspection.
According to reports, Sharma wrote to UP DGP OP Singh on Wednesday and informed him that the former AU student had been receiving threats of rape and murder after she wrote to NCW. The letter (TOI has a copy of it) also mentions that there are many security issues in girls’ hostels. The letter also said that the committee would send the report based on its visit soon. “Concerning the gravity of the matter, I request you to ensure that immediate police protection is provided to the complainant and the action taken report be sent to the commission at an early date,” read the letter.
SSP (Allahabad) Satyarth Aniruddha Pankaj said, “We have received the letter and would soon provide security to Singh.”
He added that police were in process of registering an FIR against Singh after the contractual firm responsible for construction inside WH premises lodged a complaint against her. “The audio tape of the conversation between Singh and the contractor, in which she allegedly asked to stop the work, is the basis of the complaint by the firm,” the SSP added.
Earlier, Singh had written to the NWC that the AU authorities were blackmailing her to withdraw her protest and had released a fake audio clip to malign her image.
Singh and her supporters staged a protest at the main gate of WH from Friday.
She also said that she was protesting against the vice-chancellor, the “dictatorial” behaviour of superintendents and the lack of amenities in hostels.
Meanwhile, AU banned protests of any form near the boundary wall of Women’s Hostel. “Singh is not an inmate of any hostel and she is trying to disturb the peaceful atmosphere of AU. Her protest poses a threat to the security of inmates of WH,” said AU chief proctor RS Dubey in a letter to the district magistrate and the SSP.