NEW DELHI: In a horrifying incident, an 18-year-old B.Tech student of the South Asian University (SAU) was allegedly sexually assaulted by four men, including a security guard, on the campus. The survivor stated in her complaint that an attempt was made to strip her and force a pill down her throat.
The incident took place on Sunday. The police registered an FIR on her complaint on Tuesday under Sections 70 (gang rape) and 62 (attempt to commit an offence punishable with life imprisonment), among others, of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The survivor’s statement has been recorded in the district magistrate’s court.
She stated in her complaint that for the last two to three days, she had been receiving sexually explicit and threatening emails from an account, identified as that of one Aryan Yash, and messages on WhatsApp and Telegram apps.
In these emails and messages, the sender asked her to meet the sender at various locations on the campus. The sender also sent her her morphed obscene pictures in these messages. The survivor wrote in the complaint, “I was going towards C-Block [at the campus] from the backside of the hostel. I saw a crowd over there and avoided going towards that area. I thought that he could be one of them and went towards the backside of the building. Then I went straight towards the convocation center.”
She said that a guard enquired from her what she was doing at that secluded spot. He later called a middle-aged man and two other persons there. While she was leaving from there, one of them allegedly tried to remove her jacket, she said, while another person put his finger in her eyes. She was pushed, following which she fell on the ground. One of them came close to her and said, “I will kill your child.” Later, she said, one of them tried to push a pill under her tongue, but she spat it out. He tried to kiss her and wanted to bite on her neck. They fled from the spot when they noticed someone coming there, the FIR said.
A senior police officer said that the Maidangarhi police station received a PCR call on Monday at around 3 pm regarding sexual assault of a student at South Asian University.
At that time, the victim did not give any statement, the police said. Later, based on the statement of the victim, the police registered an FIR.
At that time, the victim did not give any statement, the police said. Later, based on the statement of the victim, the police registered an FIR.
South Asian University (SAU) reacted sharply to the alleged case of sexual assault on its students at a time when various student organizations came together to condemn the incident.
The university released a statement on social media, which read: “We the SAU community, Faculty, Staff and Students stand in solidarity in light of the alleged horrific act of sexual violence that has been reported on campus. … SAU has a zero-tolerance policy on Sexual Harassment and all forms of violence against women. We strongly condemn, and stand in support, and solidarity!”
The Congress-aligned National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), the Bharatiya Janata Party-aligned Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad and the left organization Students’ Federation of India held protests on Tuesday at the university campus. They demanded immediate action against the accused, suspension of officials accused of negligence and the creation of a safer campus environment.
Carrying placards and shouting slogans, students gathered outside the university gates, calling for justice for survivor.
