'Do you want me to bring a pill for you?': Engineering student held for raping senior in Bengaluru college washroom; suspended

BENGALURU: A 21-year-old engineering student from a reputed South Bengaluru college was arrested on charges of raping his senior inside the men's washroom on the college campus on Oct 10.

The accused has been suspended with immediate effect, the college confirmed on Friday. Police slapped a case against the accused under Section 64 of BNS. Both the accused and the survivor, who police said knew each other for more than three months, were subjected to medical tests. The survivor had filed a complaint with the jurisdictional police on Oct 15, prompting the cops to arrest the accused on the same day. He was remanded in judicial custody at Bengaluru Central Prison.

According to the survivor’s complaint, on the day of the crime, she wanted to collect a jacket from the accused. Later that day, around 1pm, he took her to the post-graduation block on the seventh floor of the college building. “While handing over the jacket, he forcefully kissed me. Angered by the act, I went down and stood near the men’s washroom on the sixth floor.

He soon reached there, dragged me inside the washroom, and raped me,” the survivor said in h er police complaint.

“I shared the ordeal with two of my male friends, who advised me to file a police complaint. However, worried that my parents would be shocked to know about this, I hesitated for a few days before finally filing the complaint,” she added. In her complaint, the survivor revealed that the accused called her in the evening on the day she was assaulted and said: “Do you want me to bring a pill for you?” She explained that she “was so shocked and pained” by the incident that she just disconnected the call without uttering a word.On Thursday, a police team took the accused to the crime scene for a spot-mahazar, his face covered in a piece of black clo th.“ In keeping with college norms, we have formed a committee to inquire about the incident, and the committee has submitted its report,” the college authorities said, adding that though there was no complaint filed by the survivor, the college took cognizance of the crime b a sed on media reports.

(The victim's identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme Court directives on cases related to sexual assault)