A shocking case has come to light from Delhi’s South Asian University (SAU), where an 18-year-old first-year B.Tech student has alleged that she was gang raped and attacked by four men on campus. The student also claimed that the attackers tried to poison her after assaulting her at a private spot inside the university premises.
According to the student’s complaint, the incident took place on Sunday, 12th October night, near the university’s convocation centre, an area where construction work is going on and is usually deserted at night. She said she had received a series of disturbing emails and messages from someone named ‘Aryan Yash’, who first asked her to meet near the guest house and later threatened to share her morphed nude photos if she didn’t come to Gate 3 within an hour.
In her FIR, the student said that after receiving repeated threatening messages, she got panicked and informed her friend, but out of fear decided to step out alone.
She walked along the path behind the hostel towards C-Block, avoiding crowds as she suspected the sender might be among them. From there, she moved toward the convocation centre, an area under construction that remains isolated and quiet at night.
The student said that a security guard stopped her and asked where she was going. When she replied, she was heading to the mess, he called someone. Soon, a middle-aged man arrived, and the two started talking while standing close to her. Moments later, two other men suddenly ran toward them, and before she could react, the group attacked her.
According to her statement, one man grabbed her shoulders and tried to take off her jacket, another forced her eyes open with his fingers, and a third pulled at her T-shirt while she struggled to resist. They allegedly beat her, touched her inappropriately, and tried to force her to swallow a pill. While she was lying on the ground, a worker pushing a food cart passed by from Mess-1. Hearing his voice, all four attackers ran away from the back side of the Mess.
After the assault, the student sought help from the campus staff, but alleged that the hostel in charge ignored her pleas. According to the FIR, the hostel official allegedly told her, “You girls have many boyfriends, you can go anywhere from the balcony.” She also reportedly stopped the student from speaking to her mother on a video call and advised her to take a shower before contacting anyone.
The police were called only after the student’s friends insisted, claiming that the university administration was trying to handle the matter internally. The Maidan Garhi police received a PCR call around 3 p.m. on Monday and registered an FIR under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for gang rape, assault, and attempt to administer poison.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Ankit Chauhan said the case is being investigated “with full sensitivity and priority.” Police are also scanning CCTV footage from areas mentioned by the student to identify the attackers.
The incident has triggered massive protests on campus, with students demanding action against the hostel warden and administration officials who allegedly failed to act promptly.
In a statement, the South Asian University said it “strongly condemns the alleged act of sexual violence” and reaffirmed its zero-tolerance policy toward sexual harassment. The university added that it is fully cooperating with the police investigation. The university, which is jointly run by SAARC nations under the Ministry of External Affairs, has seen heightened tension since the incident, with students demanding justice and better safety measures on campus.
