Dalit Student Held Hostage and Subjected to Attempted Sexual Assault in BHU Hostel

Lucknow: A case of a Dalit student being held hostage and stripped naked has come to light in the hostel of Banaras Hindu University (BHU). It is alleged that the accused students also beat up the Dalit student in a closed room.

The student has filed a written complaint at the police station regarding this matter. He states that if action is not taken, he will leave the BHU campus. The police have assured that they will investigate the matter and take appropriate action.

The incident took place in Rajaram Hostel of BHU. The victim is enrolled in the MA course in Sociology.

The student stated to The Mooknayak, "I am a student of MA Sociology. I hail from Ahmedabad, Gujarat. On Sunday night, around 02:45 a.m., there was a sudden power outage in one lobby of Rajaram Hostel, while the other lobby had electricity. I was studying in my room when suddenly the room plunged into darkness. Upon investigation, I found that the MCB had tripped. As I bent down to reset it, a student from the MPIMIR course grabbed me from behind.”

He forcefully attempted to remove my pants, and when I resisted, he slammed my head against the wall, causing me to fall. He then attempted to sodomize me forcibly. When I resisted, he assaulted and abused me, and even threatened me with death.

“I somehow managed to escape, but he followed me into the room. He forcibly pulled down my pants while continuing to abuse me. When I resisted, he hit me with slaps and punches. He also snatched my phone and held me captive inside the room for an hour. Other students came to my rescue upon hearing my cries. They alerted the hostel warden and the proctorial board about the incident. The proctorial board team reached Rajaram Hostel and rescued me at 4 a.m. The warden and the proctorial board then took me to the trauma center, where I received medical treatment. I have filed a written complaint and am awaiting the filing of an FIR. If the FIR is not registered, I will leave the campus,” said the victim.

Speaking to The Mooknayak, Shivakant Mishra, the Station Officer of the Lanka police station, said, “This appears to be a case of physical assault. The police have interviewed the victim and other students at the hostel. The matter is under investigation.”

Not the First Case of Sexual Assault Inside the Hostel

This incident is not the first sexual assault incident inside the hostel of Banaras Hindu University. In February of this year, a Doctor was sexually assaulted after being lured into a hostel room at Ruiya Hostel by two students. The 32-year-old victim was also robbed of a gold chain, ring, and cash. The accused included five people, two of whom were BHU students. They were arrested by the police and confessed to the crime.

-Translated by Pratikshit Singh