Students at South Asian University (SAU) protest institutional negligence and police delay after an alleged attempted gang rape on campus; top officials face accusations of cover-up as students demand arrests and accountability.
On 16 October, 2025 the South Asian University (SAU) witnessed protests after a first-year B.Tech student was allegedly gang raped by four men on campus on the night of October 12, 2025. This incident, which reportedly involved two university students, an outsider, and a university security guard, sparked a major confrontation between students and college officials.
The anger started immediately because the college did nothing. When the victim’s friends approached the caretaker and the hostel warden, both refrained from taking any action. The administration also failed to provide the student with immediate medical assistance.
Students have accused officials of terrible behaviour. Testimonies state that the authorities made “insensitive comments” and even “tried to fabricate evidence.” One student vented online about the administration’s indifference, “They are hiding inside the office and having tea and samosas, they do not care what happened? Is this humanity?”
When the administration did not help, the students began a silent protest. They gathered and surrounded the admin block on October 13. Later that night, the registrar and proctor refused to meet the students’ main demands, which included the immediate suspension of the warden and caretaker.
The police action further inflamed the situation. Although a PCR call was made at 3 PM, the police greatly delayed the process, only registering an FIR early the next morning. Early on October 14, police “forcefully made students vacate the space that they were occupying.”
For two days, the administration avoided the students’ protests. Protesters noted that officials had to “run away from the back door” to avoid speaking to them. This led to a huge protest march at the university on 15 October. The problem even reached outside the campus, with the DUSU President and some DU representatives pressuring the administration. The MEA also requested a report.
Although there are talks that students’ demands were met in a meeting with the administration on the 15th, official information is yet to be released to know the extent and success of the meeting. However, the silent protest is still continuing for two reasons given by the students:
- There is a lack of transparency in police investigations and harassment of victims.
- No arrests have been made by the police, even though the victim has named the culprit.
The students refuse to leave until they see real action and the responsible people are arrested.
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Image Credit: Anonymous
Juhi Bansal
