Crime Mukherjee Nagar

Vehicle seized in Mukherjee Nagar DU students harassment case

Police have traced and recovered the vehicle allegedly used in the harassment of two Delhi University students in north Delhi's Mukherjee Nagar. The incident was reported around 9.30 pm on September 23 near Hakikat Park. Police said Naman Choudhary was driving the vehicle, accompanied by two to three others, and an FIR was registered under BNS Sections 78, 79 and 3(5). The student said the men tried to pull her into the car, adding, "I was lucky that I got saved."

Written by AI from News18 — India · not yet reviewed by an editor · Published 25 Sept 2026, 8:52 am IST

Source

News18 — India · read the original report ↗

#delhi police#harassment#delhi university#mukherjee nagar#fir#women safety

Desk check · some claims need care

What the desk checked (5)

Vehicle allegedly used in the harassment of two DU students has been traced and recovered — Attributed to police in the source; figure and action appear consistently in the text.
Naman Choudhary was driving the vehicle, accompanied by two to three others — Attributed to police; named individual is described as a suspect, not convicted — retain 'alleged'.
FIR registered at Mukherjee Nagar Police Station under BNS Sections 78, 79 and 3(5) — Specific sections cited in source and attributed to police; internally consistent.
Student said men tried to pull her into the car and that she approached two to three police stations before the FIR was filed — Attributed to the student in an interview with CNN-News18 and a video; unverified allegation, police say they are looking into it.
DU administration said the accused would be rusticated but no action has been taken — Claim by the student only; no university response in the source.

Written by AI from News18 — India · not yet reviewed by an editor · How we use AI · Report an error

Analysts’ view opinion

AI Legal Analyst

Tracing and seizing the vehicle, along with identifying its registered owner and driver, is a significant early investigative step, because the vehicle is the central piece of physical evidence here and, together with the CCTV footage, can help establish the sequence of events. The FIR under BNS Sections 78 (stalking), 79 (act intended to insult a woman's modesty) and 3(5) (common intention) means liability could extend to everyone in the vehicle, not just the driver. At the same time, if the allegation that the men tried to forcibly pull the students into the car is borne out by evidence, the question of adding graver provisions than those currently invoked will arise.

Because BNS 3(5) is a common-intention provision, the law allows culpability to be attributed to the other occupants of the vehicle and not only the person driving it.
Sections listed in an FIR reflect only the police's initial assessment; they can be altered or expanded at the chargesheet stage depending on the evidence.
The student's claim that stations initially cited lack of jurisdiction is a serious procedural issue, raising questions about complaint registration and zero-FIR practice; police have said they are examining those circumstances.
Seizing the vehicle and examining CCTV are routine investigative acts and do not determine guilt, which remains for a court to decide after trial.
University disciplinary action such as rustication is a separate track from the criminal case; the two can run in parallel and neither is contingent on the other.

What to watch — Watch whether the sections change in the chargesheet, how a court handles any arrest and bail stage, and what the police review of the delay in registering the complaint concludes.

The story establishes no finding of guilt, and does not confirm whether any arrests have been made, what the named individuals say in response, or what formal action the university has taken — the allegations remain allegations.

Deep dive

Research brief · 8 facts · 4 dates · exam-ready

The brief

Context

Two Delhi University students alleged they were harassed, followed and nearly pulled into an SUV by a group of men near Hakikat Park in north Delhi's Mukherjee Nagar, a locality dense with students and coaching centres, at around 9:30 pm on September 23. Police have since traced and recovered the vehicle, identified its registered owner and named Naman Choudhary as the driver, with two to three others allegedly accompanying him. An FIR has been registered at Mukherjee Nagar Police Station under Sections 78, 79 and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, covering stalking, insulting the modesty of a woman and common intention. The complainant has also alleged that she was turned away from two to three police stations on jurisdictional grounds before the FIR was finally lodged.

Key facts

The incident was reported at around 9:30 pm on September 23 near Hakikat Park, Mukherjee Nagar, north Delhi.
Police traced and recovered the vehicle allegedly used, and traced it to its registered owner.
Naman Choudhary was identified as the driver at the time, accompanied by two to three other people.
FIR registered at Mukherjee Nagar Police Station under BNS Sections 78, 79 and 3(5) — stalking, act intended to insult the modesty of a woman, and common intention.
The student said three to four men in an SUV approached them, abused and harassed them, followed them and tried to forcibly pull them into the vehicle.
The student alleged the men fled after her friend took out her phone to record the incident.
The student alleged she and her friends visited three police stations over several hours, initially told the matter was outside their jurisdiction.
CCTV footage reportedly shows the two students walking on the same road a few minutes before the alleged incident; police are examining it.

Timeline

September 23, around 9:30 pmTwo DU students allegedly harassed, followed and nearly pulled into an SUV near Hakikat Park, Mukherjee Nagar.
Same night, over several hoursStudents say they approached two to three police stations; complaint eventually registered at Mukherjee Nagar Police Station.
After the FIRPolice trace the vehicle to its registered owner, identify driver Naman Choudhary and the alleged suspects; CCTV footage examined.
September 25, 07:47 ISTReport first published stating the vehicle has been traced and recovered and investigation is underway.

Who has a stake

The two DU students (complainants) — Personal safety, justice through the FIR, and their allegation of delay and jurisdictional refusal by police stations.
Delhi Police / Mukherjee Nagar Police Station — Credibility of response: registering the FIR, tracing the vehicle, examining CCTV, and answering the delay allegation.
Naman Choudhary and two to three others — Named as driver and alleged suspects; face investigation under BNS Sections 78, 79 and 3(5).
Delhi University administration — Alleged to have said the accused would be rusticated; student claims no such action has been taken so far.
Students and women in Mukherjee Nagar area — Everyday street safety; the complainant called current measures a "band-aid solution" and sought longer-term steps.

Why it matters

The case tests two things at once: whether street harassment near a major student hub is investigated swiftly, and whether a woman complainant can register an FIR without being shuttled between police stations on jurisdiction grounds. The complainant's charge that responses to such incidents are only a "band-aid solution" points to a gap between episodic policing after outrage and sustained safety infrastructure for students.

UPSC angle

Prelims pointers

Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) replaced the Indian Penal Code as India's principal criminal law code.
BNS Section 78 relates to stalking; Section 79 to acts intended to insult the modesty of a woman; Section 3(5) to common intention.
Incident location: near Hakikat Park, Mukherjee Nagar, north Delhi; FIR at Mukherjee Nagar Police Station.
Date and time of alleged incident: around 9:30 pm on September 23; report published September 25.
Driver named by police: Naman Choudhary, with two to three others in the vehicle (an SUV, reported as a Safari).
The student referred to a recent incident involving a student near Lady Shri Ram College while demanding long-term safety measures.

Mains framing

The Mukherjee Nagar case illustrates how the legal architecture against street sexual harassment — now codified in BNS Sections 78 and 79, read with Section 3(5) on common intention — can be undercut at the first point of contact. The complainant's allegation that she was turned away from two to three police stations on jurisdictional grounds, and had to visit three stations over several hours before an FIR was recorded, goes to the heart of mandatory registration of cognisable offences and zero-FIR practice; the source notes police are \"looking into the circumstances surrounding the complaint.\" Investigative strengths in the case — tracing the vehicle to its registered owner, identifying the driver and suspects, and examining CCTV footage of the road minutes before the incident — show that outcomes improve once a case formally enters the system. Equally important is institutional follow-through: the student alleges the university promised rustication of the accused but has not acted. The way forward, on the facts available, lies in ensuring complaints are registered irrespective of jurisdiction, time-bound action on CCTV and vehicle-based leads, coordination between university administrations and police, and sustained area-level safety measures in student neighbourhoods rather than what the complainant calls \"band-aid\" responses after each incident.

Key terms

Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS): India's criminal code under which the FIR in this case was registered, replacing the earlier penal code provisions.
BNS Section 78: Provision relating to stalking, invoked in the FIR in this case.
BNS Section 79: Provision on an act intended to insult the modesty of a woman.
BNS Section 3(5): Provision on common intention, used where several persons act together with a shared criminal purpose.
FIR (First Information Report): The police's first formal record of a cognisable offence; here registered at Mukherjee Nagar Police Station.
Jurisdiction refusal: The complainant's allegation that police stations initially declined her complaint saying the matter fell outside their area.

Practice questions

Discuss how procedural barriers such as jurisdictional refusal at police stations weaken statutory protections against sexual harassment of women. Suggest institutional remedies.
Examine the respective roles of the police and university administrations in ensuring the safety of students in urban education hubs, with reference to the Mukherjee Nagar case.
"Responses to incidents of harassment are band-aid solutions." Critically evaluate this claim in the context of women's safety in Indian cities.

Grounded only in the source report — figures and dates are the source's, not inferred.

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