Sexual assault at EFLU during campus protest for harassment committee; new wave of protest ignites

A female student at the English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU) at Hyderabad became the victim of a sexual assault late on Wednesday night, sparking a massive protest by students against the university's lack of response to the incident.

According to a statement released by students, the incident occurred on the night of Wednesday, October 18 around 10 pm when the victim was discovered unconscious by fellow students, who acted swiftly to get her to the University Health Centre for medical attention.

This incident unfolded just a day after students had peacefully protested for over 24 hours, advocating for the SPARSH (Sensitisation, Prevention, And Redressal of Sexual Harassment) committee elections. Their demands were a safe environment sensitised against all forms of sexual harassment and violence on campus.

During the incident, the female student was sexually assaulted and physically assaulted by two unidentified individuals.

However, the Proctor dismissed their demands, citing an inability to access CCTV footage. It was at 6:20 am that the Proctor reportedly informed the Vice-Chancellor about the incident.

The health center officials treated the matter with insensitivity and discouraged the students to make the incident public, according to the statement released by the student body of EFLU.

The students' demands include the identification and punishment of the perpetrators, the resignation of the Vice-Chancellor and the entire Proctorial Board to allow for an impartial investigation.

The student body statement also pointed out various lapses of the EFL University administration:

"The defunct SPARSH committee's failure to adhere to UGC guidelines has left victims of sexual harassment without recourse and perpetuated an unsafe campus environment.

"The uneven distribution of security measures across the campus which raises concerns about the administration's commitment to student safety.

"The intimidating presence of police and security guards during the protest.

The university administration has not issued any response to the student body's protests till now," the statement said.