SAU University Assault Case: A student at South Asian University (SAU) in Delhi alleged she received threatening emails and messages warning that a morphed nude photograph of her would be circulated, two days before she was allegedly assaulted by four men on campus, according to an FIR registered by the Delhi Police Tuesday based on the student’s complaint. Her uncle, who arrived in Delhi after the incident, alleged he did not get any call from the university, just a WhatsApp message from the warden saying his niece was hurting herself. According to the FIR, the student said she received emails containing explicit language, directing her to come to a guest house close to midnight. “The next day (October 12). I received messages on both WhatsApp and Telegram stating that the photo I had uploaded to my email profile had been morphed to appear nude.,” she alleged, as per the FIR. The student said she panicked and tried to avoid crowds, and went towards the convocation centre. According to her statement to police, the victim was approached by two men who asked her what the matter was. Then, she saw two others running towards them. “I got up and started walking. but someone tried to take off my jacket. Another man grabbed my T-shirt and tried to pull it up.,” the woman alleged. She claimed the men fled after hearing someone come out of the mess. In her statement, the student also alleged that hostel staff discouraged calling the police or informing her family. Police said a call was received at Maidangarhi police station around 3 pm on Monday from a classmate of the student, who said she was in distress and untraceable for several hours. She was later found near an open-air theatre. She was taken to a hospital and medically examined. The Indian Express reached out to officials at SAU who did not respond to calls, emails and messages. Officials at the university told the media that a disciplinary committee and an internal complaints committee are working on the matter. In a post on X on Tuesday, the varsity wrote: ‘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. The South Asian University condemns this alleged act of sexual violence in the strongest terms. SAU has a zero-tolerance policy on sexual harassment and all forms of violence against women.” Speaking to The Indian Express, the student’s uncle said he learned of the assault only when her classmates called. “On the night of October 12, I got a call from my niece’s friend saying they had been unable to find her for 2-2.5 hours. We were panicking. Then the security guard called saying they found her inside the campus,” he said. “. I took a flight from Patna at 6 am, landed in Delhi at 8.30 am, and went straight to the hospital,” he added. The uncle said he has raised the student since she was born. DCP (South) Ankit Chauhan said: “The FIR has been registered under relevant BNS sections. The investigation is being conducted with due sensitivity and priority.” According to police sources, almost every corner of the university is covered by CCTV cameras. Police have reviewed footage from the time period the victim mentioned in her complaint. “We are scanning CCTV footage and trying to identify any suspects. So far, no suspicious individuals have been seen in the recordings,” a police source said. In one of the CCTV recordings, sources said, the student is seen walking in the park while talking on the phone. During this time, she left the park for about 10 minutes and returned; she was seen talking on the phone again. On Tuesday, a team of police officers recreated the incident on campus during which the student was present. The police are examining her laptop and mobile phones, on which she claims to have received threatening emails and objectionable content. Police have also written to the service provider to obtain the IP address of the sender of the alleged threat emails and other online content. The incident had sparked protests on campus. Late Monday night, more than a hundred students gathered inside the main administrative corridor, demanding the suspension of the hostel warden and the formation of an inquiry committee that includes students.
