Assam Police on Saturday arrested a student of the Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati (IIT-G) in connection with a case of alleged rape of a woman student studying in the same year. The incident took place on March 28.
“We have arrested one student and booked him under rape charges. Four other students are being questioned. Further investigation is on and more arrests could happen,” superintendent of police (SP), Kamrup, Hitesh Chandra Roy said.
Mukut Baishya, in-charge of Amingaon police outpost in Kamrup district, said that the statement of the victim was recorded on Saturday, six days after the incident. Police refused to divulge details of the victim and the accused since the matter is under investigation.
The IITG authorities, in a statement, mentioned that they submitted a report on Friday after conducting an internal inquiry into the matter. Officials didn’t divulge any details of the report.
Though the IITG claimed having filed an FIR in connection with the case, the police denied it. “They just submitted their internal inquiry report. We had registered the case on March 29 and the student was arrested based on our investigation,” said Baishya.
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{{/usCountry}}The incident happened on the day of Holi (March 28) at the institute’s campus. The victim was admitted to the IIT-G hospital and was later taken to Guwahati Medical College Hospital (GMCH) for treatment.
On Saturday, the institute issued a statement and termed the incident “unfortunate” without giving details of the assault or the nature of the victim’s injuries. However, doctors at the GMCH said that it was very likely a case of serious sexual assault.
“The victim was brought to GMCH around 12:50 am on March 29. She was initially unconscious and in a state of shock after regaining her senses. She told doctors on duty that she had been sexually assaulted. We immediately followed protocol and carried out a test by a gynaecologist as well as a forensic examination,” said a senior GMCH doctor on condition of anonymity.
“However, she was taken from GMCH by IIT-G authorities later in the day saying she will be treated at the institute’s hospital. Since this was against our advice, we immediately informed the local police about it,” he added.
Though the victim’s medical report is yet to be out, GMCH sources said that it was a clear case of sexual assault. It is believed that the victim was given some drink laced with drugs or was forced to consume alcohol before the assault.
Since the incident took place at the IIT-G, the Bhangagarh police station (the closest to GMCH) informed the Amingaon police about it as the institute falls under the latter’s jurisdiction.
“The student is now safe and recovering well,” said the IIT-G statement, adding that her parents have been informed about the incident. It mentioned that the victim, as well as her guardians, refused to file an FIR and asked IIT-G to take up the case.
“The fact-finding committee, which was constituted on March 29, submitted its report to the institute on April 2 pm while the institute has filed an FIR. The police have initiated their investigation and the institute is providing full cooperation,” the statement read.
In a similar incident that took place years back in February 2017, two students of IIT-G were arrested for allegedly raping three girls of Gauhati University by lacing their drinks with drugs during ‘Alcheringa’, the institute’s annual cultural festival.