The varsity has extended the holidays till 29 October as the students demanded justice for assault survivor and withdrawal of cases.
Published Oct 23, 2023 | 7:02 PM ⚊ Updated Oct 23, 2023 | 7:02 PM
EFLU students plan to approach UGC over sexual assault, FIR as varsity extends holidays after protest. (Supplied)
Alleging that the English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU) administration is trying to suppress their voices against an alleged sexual assault incident, agitating students are considering approaching the University Grants Commission (UGC) with their complaint.
They also accused the administration of targeting specific students. They were referring to the 11 students booked in an FIR. The students demanded the withdrawal of the case.
“We are planning to protest and put pressure on the government and the university to withdraw the false case filed against students. We are also thinking of approaching the UGC with a complaint,” a student, requesting anonymity for fear of reprisals, told South First.
While the varsity on 22 October announced an extension of holidays from 24 October to 29 October, the students called it a “strategy” to divert attention from the protests and the alleged sexual assault.
Meanwhile, at least five parliamentarians from Kerala wrote to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, demanding his immediate intervention in the “sexual assault” case. They also took the incident to the notice of the National Women’s Commission (NCW).
The students alleged in a statement that the administration wrongly implicated them in a “fictitious” and “distorted” case. The case was registered based on Proctor T Samson’s complaint.
The FIR, which was registered on 19 October at the Osmania University police station, stated that the 11 students provoked other “200” students and allegedly “promoted enmity” and “incited violence”.
EFLU students sitting on a protest demanding a probe into the sexual assault incident. (Supplied)
The 11 students have been booked under IPC sections 153 (intention to cause riots), 153a (promoting enmity),143, and 149 (unlawful assembly).
Proctor Samson stated that the Muslim Students’ Federation (MSF) planned to conduct a programme in support of Palestine on the EFLU campus to flare communal tensions and create disharmony.
He added that the students used physical force, abused him and prevented him from accessing drinking water or washroom facilities.
However, the students termed it “a blatant lie” in a bid to derail the protest against sexual assault that allegedly took place on the night of 18 October.
The students said that the protest was not because of the “unrelated literary discussion about the Palestinian cause that did not take place” but for a swift probe into the sexual assault incident.
They added that the event — titled “Palestine: Perspectives on Literary Resistance” — at the New Academic Block was cancelled by the organisers and the authorities, and the police were informed about it in advance.
“No handbills were distributed as the programme only had a WhatsApp poster. And the planning didn’t hurt any communal sentiments,” the students claimed.
The proctor, in the FIR accessed by South First, stated that the 11 students coerced him into calling up BS Sherin, an associate professor from the Department of Comparative Literature and India Studies, and Ipshita Chanda, a professor from the same department, to join the protest, which to him seemed “highly dubious”.
However, the students called it an “unfair portrayal” of the events.
“The professors mentioned in the FIR were sensitive to the survivor and supported her. However, in the FIR, they are unfairly portrayed. The proctor called them to campus and later made these allegations,” a student told South First.
Refuting the proctor’s claims that the protest was orchestrated by the 11 students to discredit the university and disrupt its administrative functioning, the students alleged that the varsity officials handled the instance of sexual assault “insensitively”. While addressing the students, Samson apparently asked them not to make a big deal out of such a “small issue” and trivialised the incident.
They added that registrar K Narasimha Rao publicly demanded the identity of the survivor, which goes against her right to remain anonymous.
EFLU has a large number of students from Kerala. Several of them have been active in the recent protests.
As per reports, at least six of the 11 students booked were from Kerala.
These students have received support from several Kerala MPs, who wrote to Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, the National Women’s Commission and demanded a thorough investigation into the matter.
John Brittas, Rajya Sabha MP, CPI(M), wrote a letter to Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan regarding the EFLU issue. (Supplied)
Demanding immediate intervention, John Brittas, CPI(M)’s Rajya Sabha MP said: “…It is clear that by clubbing these two unrelated issues, the EFLU administration is trying to weave a communal narrative to polarise and divert attention from their apathy and inaction… It has also been brought to my notice that there has been a systematic targeting of students from Kerala by the EFLU administrations, which is clear from the fact that out of the eleven students accused in the FIR, six hail from the state…”
Another CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP, V Sivadasan, sought justice for the survivor.
“There are complaints that instead of addressing the just demands of the students, the administration is trying to muffle the voices of dissent through punitive actions upon those who demand their due rights…I request your kind attention and immediate intervention into the issue so that the rights of the students are protected,” he said.
Earlier, Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) Rajya Sabha members ET Mohammed Basheer and PV Abdul Wahab, and Lok Sabha MP Hibi Eden of the Congress also wrote to Education Minister, UGC Chairman M Jagadesh Kumar, and the NCW, respectively, seeking their immediate intervention.
The survivor claimed that she was “sexually and physically assaulted” near the old health centre area by two men.
Several posters read ‘no excuse to abuse’ at the EFLU. (Supplied)
“She was subsequently found unconscious by two other students. The perpetrators told her explicitly that they had seen her on the frontlines of a previous protest,” a student told South First earlier.
She was then taken to the health centre for initial treatment.
“The survivor said the health centre officials discouraged from any attempt to make the incident public,” a student said.
In a statement, the survivor said she had gone for a walk when two men pulled her hair from behind before dragging her towards the old health centre.
“One man was tall and muscular and the other was of medium height. Both were wearing dark hoodies. They said ‘saw you today’ and ‘this should not happen’ (speculated to be about the protest for reconstitution of the SPARSH committee or Palestine literary discussion event) on the campus,” she said.
As per reports, a friend of the survivor claimed that the police officers were also insensitive towards the survivor’s plight.
EFLU students protested outside the administrative building on 17 October. (Supplied)
Students also told South First earlier that CCTV cameras on the university campus, which would have helped in identifying the perpetrators, were dysfunctional.
The EFLU has been on a boil since 16 October when the students sat on a demonstration demanding the reconstitution of the anti-sexual harassment SPARSH committee, which they claimed had been defunct since 2020.
The students also demanded the immediate conduct of elections of the three student representatives, SPARSH committee elections before or alongside the Students’ Union elections scheduled to take place in November, and reservation of one seat for a student from the LGBTQIA+ community, one for a female student, and one for a general student in SPARSH.
A holiday circular issued on Sunday, 22 October, also informed that the second Internal assessment examinations have been rescheduled to be held between 31 October and 6 November 2023.
“The holidays are meant for the members of the faculty and the students, and no classwork will be conducted during the holidays. However, all non-teaching staff of the University shall attend to their duties as usual, and the offices will remain open,” the circular read.
It added that due to the holidays on four days — 20, 25, 26 and 27 October — classes will be conducted on 4, 11, 18 and 25 November.
