EFLU Agitation: Students & Teachers Allege Admin of Using Communal Narrative to Suppress Sexual Assault Case

The English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU) in Hyderabad has been witnessing students’ ire following an alleged sexual assault on a female student within the campus premises. According to sources close to the survivor, she was sexually abused and physically assaulted by two men, around 10 pm on 18 October while she was walking towards the 3rd gate near the professors quarters.

But now, allegations surface of the administration exploiting a communal narrative regarding an unrelated issue to subvert attention from the horrifying incident of sexual violence inside the campus. Students organisations and the faculty members have equally appalled this move from the administration.

The Horrifying Incident
The assault happened a day after the 26 hour long protest by the students demanding reconstitution of the SPARSH committee (Sensitisation, Prevention and Redressal of Sexual Harassment Committee) successfully concluded. The protest started on 16 October with the demand to form an active redressal mechanism to deal with the complaints against sexual harassment on campus. The admin agreed to the demand of the students to constitute an Internal Complaints Committee(ICC) with student representatives in it, on the night of 17 October. But the circular was not yet made available in public domain.

According to the sources close to the survivor, during the incident of the assault, the two men wearing dark hoodies had also mentioned about her participation in the protest. “We saw you today. This should not happen”- the perpetrators told the survivor before they pulled her away to a stranded area and assaulted her physically and sexually. They also pushed her phone away so that she could not call her friends for help- the sources said. Her fellow students also criticised the insensitivity of the Campus Health Centre staff towards the survivor of a sexual harassment as “they were reluctant, uninterested and insensitive to the survivor’s condition”.

Image - No Excuse For Abuse: a sloganeering poster from the protest.

Students Mobilise Demanding Justice for Fellow Student
Within a few hours, students started gathering in protest seeking strict action against the perpetrators and demanding a safer and inclusive campus. Though the Proctor was informed about the sexual assault the previous night around 10:30 PM, he did not take any action all night, the students alleged. The survivor also demanded inclusion of two teachers who she trusts to the inquiry committee and to check CCTV footage of the area where the assault happened. The protest gathering at Proctor T Samson’s residence raising these demands continued for over 6 hours till 11 in the morning. Around 500 students participated in this protest whereas the total strength of the campus is only around 1200.

The students say the police officers at Osmania police station allegedly harassed and threatened the survivor and her companions. Furthermore, the students accuse the administration of delaying necessary action. They say the administration’s failure to promptly arrange a technician, coupled with poor quality of the CCTV footage and the lack of street lights made the evidence unreliable. The administration remained inactive for a substantial seven hours post-assault, until students mobilised and marched to the proctors' quarters around 4 am, prompting the administration into action- the statements released by the students said.

Photo - Students Protest

The Whole Issue Takes A Turn
According to a student activist (who preferred to be unnamed on the fear of being targeted), the university distorted the whole issue from here on. “The university chose to portray the protests that followed the assault in a communal narrative. This was done purposefully to target the students and teachers who stood by the survivor. Students who were in the frontline of the protest for an active ICC were also targeted”- the student activist said.

Just before the incident of sexual assault occurred, there was another major issue that happened in the campus. A discussion on ‘Palestine: Perspectives on Literary Resistance’ was scheduled to happen at the New Academic Building, the only happening space in the campus. This was organised by the Muslim Students Federation(MSF). Hours before the event, the security blocked access to the building where students usually hangout and engage in academic and other activities. This led to an immediate agitation there and students irrespective of their political affiliations forced their way in to claim their space. Before the event started, the Deputy Proctor arrived and announced that the event did not have permission from the administration. He also informed the students that the police and the intelligence bureau had intimated the administration to prevent the event from occuring, on charges of it causing ‘communal unrest’. Following this, the police were also allowed inside the campus to stop the event. Hence the event was called off.

From the statement issued by the EFL University on 19 October, it is clearly stated that the action to disallow the discussion and the incident of sexual assault are completely different incidents. But students allege the proctor and the local police used this issue to file an FIR against student activists who stood by the survivor and the faculty members whom she trusted.

Image - Statement released by EFLU

Based on a complaint from the Proctor, the police has registered an FIR under IPC sections 153, 143, 153a, and r/w 149 (which includes wantonly giving provocation to cause riot, unlawful assembly, promoting enmity between groups on grounds of religion etc) naming 11 students (and others) as accused. The FIR also implicated two faculty members whom the Proctor himself had officially summoned following the demand of the survivor in the early hours of 19 October.

The faculty members of EFLU have also expressed their profound distress over the recent sexual assault incident within the campus premises. In a letter of concern, the faculty denounced the insensitivity displayed by certain authorities during and after the assault. The faculty members also highlighted the troubling encounter faced by their colleagues while assisting the survivor with the filing of a police report, citing insults and humiliation from a Deputy Commissioner of Police. They strongly urged the university to ensure a fair investigation without prejudicing the case with communal biases. Expressing condemnation of the Proctor's actions, they demanded an end to the persecution of students and faculty members. The letter emphasised the need for a sensitive response to the students' distress and agitation, stressing the importance of fostering an environment of healing and accountability within the institution.
Image - Letter of concern from EFLU Faculty

MPs Write to MoED, WCI
As students of EFLU campus persist with their protest, they have received solidarity from various quarters. Members of Parliament from Kerala A A Rahim, Dr. V Sivadasana and John Brittas have written to the Dharmendra Pradhan, the Union Minister for Education and the Women’s Commission of India to intervene in the issue in order to ensure immediate and concrete action from the university authorities in response to the troubling incident. The alumni of the campus have written a letter to Droupati Murmu, the President of India, inviting her attention to the issue. The Central Executive Committee of the Students Federation of India has extended solidarity to the protest by EFLU students. Student organisations from other central university campuses like the Hyderabad Central University have also expressed their solidarity to the survivor and the protesting students. Meanwhile the university has extended Dussehra leave till 29 October, a move in disguise to settle down the students’ agitation.