A first-year student at Delhi’s South Asian University (SAU) has alleged that she was gangraped and assaulted by four men on the campus. The attackers also tried to poison her, according to the complaint filed with the police.

The Delhi Police said an FIR has been registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including charges of gangrape and causing hurt through poison.
 “Based on the statement of the victim, an FIR under appropriate sections has been registered. It is being investigated with due sensitivity and priority,” said DCP (South) Ankit Chauhan.

The incident reportedly took place on Sunday, while the police received a call about it on Monday afternoon.

As per the FIR, the 18-year-old received an email a few days before the incident from someone identifying as ‘Aryan Yash’, asking her to meet him near the campus guest house close to midnight.
Later, she got another email with obscene emojis and remarks, pressuring her to respond.

When she ignored it, she received threatening messages on WhatsApp and Telegram claiming that her photo had been morphed and made nude, and that it would be circulated among students if she didn’t come to a certain gate within an hour.

Frightened, she went towards the Convocation Centre, a quiet area under construction at night. There, she was allegedly attacked by four men, who touched her inappropriately, hit her, and tried to strip her. One of them also allegedly forced her to consume a pill, the FIR states.

In her statement, the student described the assault in detail.

“I got up and started walking, then someone tried to take off my jacket by holding my shoulders. One man put his fingers on both my eyes and was pulling them upwards. Another man grabbed my T-shirt and tried to pull it up, but I was pulling it down,” she said.

She said the assault stopped only when someone nearby made noise, prompting the accused to flee the spot.

The student also alleged that the hostel in charge did not act immediately and made insensitive comments when informed about the assault.

“The hostel in charge said, ‘You guys have many boyfriends… You guys can’t let them enter through the balcony so instead you can go from the balcony anywhere,” the FIR states.

According to her, when her friends insisted she be taken to a hospital, the hostel in charge allegedly told her to take a shower and change instead. The person in charge also suggested calling the Public Relations Officer rather than the police.

“The administration wasn’t taking it seriously… I video-called my mother, but the hostel in charge was covering me and not letting me talk or show my injuries,” she alleged.

In an official statement, the South Asian University condemned the alleged crime and said it follows a zero-tolerance policy toward sexual harassment and violence.

“We, the SAU community, Faculty, Staff, and Students, stand in solidarity in light of the alleged horrific act of sexual violence reported on campus. SAU condemns this act in the strongest terms. We stand with our students and assure them of full support.”
The statement read.

Students have been protesting at the SAU campus since Monday night, demanding action against the hostel warden and accountability from the administration.

Police said the investigation is ongoing and that the victim is being provided with necessary assistance.