A disturbing incident has come to light at the South Asian University (SAU) in South Delhi, where an 18-year-old BTech first-year student has filed a complaint with the Delhi Police alleging gang rape. According to the FIR, the assault occurred on Sunday evening, perpetrated by four unknown men within the university campus. The police have confirmed the registration of a case and are treating it with utmost sensitivity and priority.
Investigators revealed that the victim had been subjected to a disturbing series of online threats for several days leading up to the assault. These threats began with anonymous emails demanding a meeting near the campus Guest House, which the student did not comply with. The harassment escalated with more aggressive and obscene emails, instructing her to meet at a specific location outside her hostel. She shared these messages with friends, who checked the location but found no one. Adding to the distress, the student then received morphed, obscene photographs of herself via WhatsApp and Telegram, created using her display picture. These images were accompanied by threats to circulate them among students if she failed to appear at Gate Number 3 of the university.
The victim recounted in her complaint that on the evening of the alleged assault, she deliberately chose a less crowded route towards the university’s convocation centre. While she was near the construction site, a security guard reportedly summoned a middle-aged man, who was soon joined by two younger men. The four individuals are accused of forcing her into an empty room near the convocation centre, where the sexual assault allegedly took place. She further stated that one of the attackers attempted to force a pill into her mouth, which she managed to spit out. The assailants reportedly fled upon hearing other people in the vicinity.
The complaint also details a concerning account of the university administration’s handling of the situation. The victim alleges that despite a doctor highlighting the seriousness of her condition, the hostel in-charge allegedly dismissed her account and instead made accusations against female students. Friends’ attempts to involve the police and seek medical attention were reportedly met with advice from the hostel in-charge to “take bath and change clothes.” Furthermore, the victim claims that university officials prevented her from contacting her mother or any external parties and physically blocked her attempts to show her injuries to her parents via video call.
A PCR call was finally made by a friend of the victim on Monday afternoon. Responding officers found the student in a state of extreme distress, making it difficult for her to communicate initially. Following counselling and a medical examination at Madan Mohan Malviya Hospital, her formal statement was recorded on Tuesday.
The case has been registered under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including those pertaining to gang rape, attempt to commit an offense, causing hurt by poison, kidnapping, voluntarily causing hurt, wrongful restraint, and common intention. Authorities are actively working to identify and apprehend the four suspects mentioned in the complaint.