Sexual assault alleged at South Asian University, police probe

A student at South Asian University in south Delhi alleged that she was sexually assaulted by four men on a deserted stretch of campus on Sunday night, prompting a police investigation, an internal university inquiry and a large student protest. Delhi Police said a PCR call about the matter was received at Maidan Garhi station at about 3 p.m. on Monday and that an FIR has been registered; officers said the probe is being carried out with sensitivity and priority.

According to the FIR recorded by police, the student received a series of threatening emails and messages over two days warning that a photograph of hers, allegedly morphed to appear nude, would be circulated unless she met the senders. She said she went to a dimly lit area near the convocation centre and Gate No. 3 at about 8 p.m., where a security guard approached her, made a call and three other men arrived. The complaint states one man grabbed her shirt and tried to pull it up, another struck her thigh, and she was dragged toward an empty room before the men fled when a nearby food cart made noise. One of the individuals named in the FIR is a nonteaching university employee, police said.