Police have arrested a 21-year-old engineering student for allegedly raping his classmate in the men’s washroom of a private college in South Bengaluru. The incident took place on October 10 and the victim filed a complaint five days later on October 15.
The accused, identified as Jeevan Gowda, is a sixth semester student of the college. Police took him into custody on Wednesday. According to an NDTV report, the court sent him to judicial custody.
The survivor, a seventh semester student, told the police that she had gone to meet Jeevan Gowda to collect her belongings earlier in the day.
According to the First Information Report (FIR), a case under Section 64 (Punishment for rape) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) was registered against the accused.
Bengaluru rape: What does the FIR say?
According to the FIR quoted by NDTV, the victim and Gowda knew each other from earlier. They were classmates but Gowda was lagging behind due to some academic backlogs. She met the accused on the day of the incident to take back some of her belongings.
Then, during the lunch break, Gowda allegedly called her several times and asked her to meet him near the architectural block on the seventh floor.
When she arrived, the accused allegedly tried to forcefully kiss her. When she tried to escape in the elevator, he followed her to the sixth floor.
When she tried to leave, Gowda allegedly dragged her into the men’s room and sexually assaulted her.
The NDTV report adds that the alleged rape in Bengaluru took place on October 10 between 1.30pm and 1.50pm.
According to the FIR, Gowda later called the victim and asked her, “Do you need a pill?”
The survivor was initially hesitant to report the incident to police because she was distressed and scared, officials said. However, after confiding in two of her friends and her parents, she went to the Hanumanthanagar police station to file a complaint.
Authorities confirmed to NDTV that CCTV cameras were not installed at the crime scene, adding that this could complicate the collection of evidence. However, officials are examining forensic and digital evidence to prove the case.
Police also reopened the crime scene Thursday, officials said.
The rape incident in Bengaluru has sparked widespread outrage in Bengaluru, with the opposition BJP accusing the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government of deteriorating law and order in the state.
