Thousands of men sexually harassed and molested students at a women's college in New Delhi last week, sparking an outcry and protests in the Indian capital.

Gargi College is an all women’s college in New Delhi, India.



Last week during a college festival men reportedly barged in and sexually harassed and assaulted numerous students.



Today these brave women are shutting down their college to demand justice.pic.twitter.com/HWJKkgCZDm — Joshua Potash (@JoshuaPotash) February 10, 2020

According to a statement issued by the General Body of Students, the men barged into the Gargi College campus in South Delhi, allegedly molesting and sexually assaulting the female students en masse.

#GargiCollege incident is shameful & condemnable. We demand strict action against culprits. Why Delhi police is not taking action is totally doubtful & unacceptable. pic.twitter.com/EAQlNLSdyt — Monal sinha (@Monalsinha3) February 11, 2020

The student group said that "thousands" of men jumped the gates of the university, descended onto the campus and damaged property, while police and non-teaching staff stood by and did nothing.

Day 2 of student strike. #Gargicollege

We won't back down until our demands are met. pic.twitter.com/H07n6WSDGP — Press F (@MokshaThukral) February 11, 2020

"Men stood in gangs and ogled at women, groped them, tried to feel them up, pushed them, and touched them throughout the concert," the statement read.

"People formed human chains to move from one area to another. After the concert was over, the men followed women, catcalled them, and forced them to reveal their names and Instagram IDs."

Assaults on students need to stop. Terrible. People should be able to learn in peace without fear of harm. — Rachel Ostrom (@ostromrl1) February 11, 2020

The General Body of Students has called for a mass strike at the school until a meeting is secured with the principal and teachers responsible for their safety and security.

Perverted Indian men once again shame #India globally. And these 'patriots' were said to be part of the pro- #CAA2019 group, and all the while @DelhiPolice personnel were on the other side of the road 'watching' the assault on India's daughters and sisters. — JP Zachariah (@jpzach) February 11, 2020

"In Gargi College, the miscreants busted the walls and molested the college girls. Despite such a serious matter, the police and college administration present on the spot have not taken any action yet," the Chairperson of the Delhi Commission for Women, Swati Maliwal said in a statement, adding that the perpetrators "must be arrested immediately!"

This should not have been allowed to happen India needs to sensitized the public about women's rights there seems to be a normalization of assault on women consistently in recent times this is not India I recognize at all — Hajjo (@hajjo_isa) February 10, 2020

New Delhi police said it had filed an official complaint against unidentified people for trespassing, as well as assaulting and harassing women.

"We are in touch with the principal of the college and are looking at CCTV footage as well," police spokesperson Anil Mittal said.

So many Delhi Police personnel can be spotted roaming around in JNU Campus nowadays & keeping eye at every activity of ours. I want to ask them-Where were they when a group of perverts entered #GargiCollege & harassed girl students? Where were they on night of 5th January? — Khushbu Sharma (@Khushbu68906378) February 11, 2020

The Deputy Commissioner of South Delhi Police Atul Thakur said that police were investigating claims that officers did not take action during the alleged assaults.

"We have started our own formal inquiry and it is being led by a senior police official," Thakur added.