Vania Sheikh took her life at the Subharti University of Meerut by jumping off the college roof after constant harassment by Siddharth Panwar
Vania Shaikh’s classmate Siddharth Panwar molested her publicly and slapped her for protesting and resisting his harassment. For the last few days, Siddhant Singh Panwar, a resident of Shivalik Nagar Haridwar had molested and slapped his classmate Vania Sheikh resident of Rashidnagar, due to which Vania, anxious and stressed out, committed suicide by jumping from the fourth floor.
Vania’s fellow students had told the police that she had called someone on mobile about two to three hours before her suicide in Meerut: According to reports, the girl student who jumped from the fourth floor of Subharti Medical College in the Meerut district of UP on October 19 but she died during treatment.
Her death is sparking outrage on social media. Comments go that “The police have arrested Siddhant Pawar but it should not be a surprise if he too is released during an Azadi festival citing “good behavior in jail” like the convicts of Bilkis Bano.
Imram Pratapgarhi from Congress of the Rajya Sabha tweeted, “BJP-ruled states are turning into graveyards for daughters, in Shubhaarti Meerut, BDS student Vania Shaikh committed suicide by jumping off the roof, her classmate Siddharth Panwar molested her publicly and slapped her for protesting.”
भाजपा शासित राज्य बेटियों के लिये क़ब्रगाह बनते जा रहे हैं, शुभारती मेरठ में BDS की छात्रा वानिया शेख़ ने छत से कूदकर जान दे दी,उसके सहपाठी सिद्धार्थ पंवार ने उसके साथ सरेआम छेड़खानी की और विरोध करने पर थप्पड़ मारा। #JusticeforVania @myogiadityanath
pic.twitter.com/L2YMV6eMyV— Imran Pratapgarhi (@ShayarImran) October 22, 2022
Journalist Zakir Ali Tyagi writes, “Vania Sheikh is no more. In Meerut’s Subharti University, Vania Shaikh, a BDS student, was caught and molested by classmate Siddhant Panwar, when she protested, the accused slapped her, due to which the student jumped from the fourth floor of the library on Wednesday, today she died during treatment. have broken!
He went on to say, “The police have arrested Siddhant Pawar but it should not be a surprise if he too is released during some Azadi Amrit Mahotsav citing “he had good behavior in jail” like the convicts of Bilkis Bano!
पुलिस ने सिद्धांत पवार को गिरफ़्तार तो कर लिया है लेकिन कोई हैरत नही होनी चाहिए यदि इसे भी बिलकिस बानो के दोषियों की तरह "जेल में अच्छा व्यवहार था" का हवाला देकर किसी आज़ादी के अमृत महोत्सव के दौरान रिहा कर दिया जाये! pic.twitter.com/9tD9ABiLaI
— Zakir Ali Tyagi (@ZakirAliTyagi) October 21, 2022
When the Uttar Pradesh Meerut police responded and said “In this case, a case has been registered at the Jani police station. The named accused has been arrested and sent to jail. Advance legal action is being taken.”
Zakir Ali retaliated by writing, “I am seeing for many days that only one story is being pasted as an answer, do you not have a Hindi keyboard, through which it can also be told in this answer that under which sections action has been taken against the accused? And why has not yet issued a press note with the name in this matter?”
प्रकरण में थाना जानी पर अभियोग पंजीकृत किया गया है। नामजद अभियुक्त को गिरफ्तार कर जेल भेजा जा चुका है। अग्रिम विधिक कार्यवाही की जा रही है।
— MEERUT POLICE (@meerutpolice) October 22, 2022
There is anger against the Uttar Pradesh government which the residents are saying has made big claims and claims for women, but is not able to protect women from the mischief.
It appeared no one was there to stop Siddharth from constantly stalking her. There seem to be no counselors, people in authority, or legal help in colleges for girls. Every girl should feel she has a system to help her if she is being harassed. There should be student bodies and facilities they can reach out to. Vania had nothing and did not find a way out and under great stress and anxiety, took her life due to the molestation and bad intentions of a man. There is a worry that Siddharth will be out of jail in a few months due to “good behavior” as Bilkis Bano’s rapist-killers were out on Independence Day. So where is the justice? Where is there fear of the law? This weak system only enables stalkers, rapists, and killers along with no help for girls when they are being stalked and troubled by men.
New reports from the police say they were in a relationship. Even if so, why is the system so unsafe for the girl that she has to take her life?
As of October 2020, Uttar Pradesh has the highest number of cases of crimes against women than any other state. The state reported 59,853 cases over the span of a year with an increase of 407 cases in 2019 than the previous year. It is followed by Rajasthan and Maharashtra which reported 41,550 and 37,144 cases, respectively.