SAU student alleges sexual assault on campus, administration accused of negligence and delay in police intimation
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A first-year student at South Asian University (SAU) in Delhi has alleged that she was sexually assaulted on campus on the night of October 12.
The incident, which reportedly took place near the Convocation Hall, has sparked protests among students, who accuse the university administration of downplaying the assault and delaying police action.
According to the FIR registered at the Maidan Garhi police station, the survivor was attacked by four men between 8 and 10:30 p.m. Her statement says that her clothes were torn and that a pill was forced into her mouth during the assault. Hours before, she had allegedly received threatening messages from a male student who had morphed her images and demanded that she meet him outside the campus gates, warning that the photos would otherwise be circulated within the university.
The survivor was later found by a friend and taken to her hostel, where the wardens, Rinku Gupta and Anupama Arora, were informed.
Students allege that instead of contacting the police, the wardens dismissed the matter, with Arora reportedly telling the student to “take a bath and sleep.” Messages sent to the student’s parents described the episode as a “panic attack.”
An audio clip circulating on social media, allegedly featuring Arora, further fuelled outrage. In it, she is heard suggesting that the student’s distress was due to “family stress” and denying that the torn clothes were evidence of assault. She also questioned why the student had been in that part of the campus late at night.
Despite the university staff being alerted soon after the incident, the police were informed only the next afternoon - around sixteen hours later - when another student called the Police Control Room. The FIR was filed on October 14, nearly two days after the assault. Students say the delay in medical examination and reporting points to institutional negligence.
As news spread across campus, students gathered outside the administration block demanding accountability. The university later issued a statement condemning the “alleged act of sexual violence” and announcing an inquiry committee. However, protesters say the administration’s response has been insufficient and that earlier complaints of harassment have also been ignored.