Following allegations of sexual assault by a South Asian University student and claims that hostel officials dissuaded her from contacting police, the university removed the girls’ hostel warden and suspended another staff member on Wednesday as an inquiry begins.
“Dr. Rinkoo Devi Gupta, Warden of the Girls’ Hostel, is relieved from her duties effective immediately, following the Committee’s discussion,” read an official order signed by Bibhupada Tripathy, Deputy Registrar (SG) Admin.
According to the order, Dr. Kajori Bhatnagar, currently Assistant Warden, has been asked to take over as Warden until further instructions.
In a separate order issued the same day, South Asian University stated, “Following the Committee’s discussion, Ms. Anupma Arora, Assistant II (Girls Hostel) (Outsourced), is suspended until the submission of the Enquiry Report. Both orders mention that they were issued “with the approval of the Competent Authority.”
The action was taken after a student told the police that hostel staff tried to manage the situation internally when she was found disoriented near a campus construction area.
In her complaint to the police, the student alleged that hostel staff instructed her to change her clothes and take a bath while also discouraging her from contacting her family. “They said they would call the PRO and handle the matter internally,” she stated.
The action follows an FIR filed by the Delhi Police on Tuesday, where the student reported receiving threats via emails and encrypted messages warning that a morphed nude photo of her would be shared if she didn’t go to a secluded area on campus.
She told the police that she walked alone towards the convocation center area around 8 pm, describing the stretch as “dark and empty at night.”
According to her account, four men approached and attempted to overpower her. They tried to remove her clothes, covered her eyes, assaulted her, and forced a pill into her mouth before fleeing the scene when a food cart worker appeared nearby.
When a classmate couldn’t reach her for almost two hours, police were alerted. Students found her near the open-air theater before a PCR unit arrived. She was first taken to a hostel room, then escorted by police to a Delhi hospital for examination.
The incident prompted an immediate student mobilization on Monday night, with students staging a sit-in along the administrative corridor to demand the suspension of the hostel warden and the inclusion of student representatives in the inquiry committee.
On Tuesday, the university issued a statement on social media expressing solidarity with the survivor, stating: “We, the SAU community—faculty, staff, and students—stand united in the wake of the alleged horrific act of sexual violence reported on campus. SAU maintains a zero-tolerance policy towards sexual harassment and all forms of violence against women.”
CCTV footage, guard entry logs, and the internet protocol trail of the emails sent to the student are being examined by the Delhi Police, officials said.
Ankit Chauhan, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South), said, “The FIR was filed under applicable sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and the investigation is being handled with due sensitivity and priority.”