JNU research scholar alleges she was drugged, raped by fellow student on campus

A research scholar of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in Delhi has alleged rape by a fellow student, police said on Sunday.

A PhD student of Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi has been booked for allegedly raping a fellow scholar after drugging her at his hostel room on campus, police said, adding that the accused was absconding.

A file photo of the JNU administrative building. (Ajay Aggarwal/HT photo)

An FIR filed by the 28-year-old student, who is also pursuing her PhD, said accused Anmol Ratan offered her a spiked drink when she went to his room on Saturday to copy a movie on her pen drive. Hostels at the university do not follow gender segregation.

“The woman said Ratan messaged her that he had the copy of a film she had wanted to see and offered to transfer it onto a pen drive. He came to her hostel and asked her to accompany him to his room at Brahmaputra hostel,” said a senior police officer.

The message was in response to a Facebook post the victim had made in June asking if anyone had the copy of the movie, police said.

In her complaint, the victim said she accepted the drink offered by Ratan and lost consciousness. “She said Ratan raped her when she was unconscious. She tried to raise an alarm after regaining consciousness but Ratan did not allow her to leave,” the officer said.

Police said the accused, associated with the All India Students’ Association (AISA), threatened her with his “political clout” if she reported the matter.

On Sunday, the woman lodged a complaint with the Vasant Kunj North police, who booked Ratan under sections 376 (rape) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code. Reports of the victim’s medical examination were awaited.

Within hours of the FIR, the Left-affiliated AISA expelled Ratan from its primary membership.

“AISA takes serious note of the fact that Anmol Ratan, a leading activist of AISA, is facing a criminal complaint of sexual assault. He is henceforth expelled from the primary membership of AISA. AISA will reflect on and deal with this issue with all the firmness it deserves... We stand by the complainant in her fight for justice,” Ashutosh Kumar, secretary of the student body’s Delhi unit, said in a statement.

JNU registrar Pramod Kumar said he had not received any complaint on the matter. “There is no complaint that has been submitted to the university. I have made an enquiry with the security of the university and they have not got back.”

The university had witnessed vociferous protests in February when student leader Kanhaiya Kumar was arrested and charged with sedition for allegedly shouting anti-India slogans at an event to mark Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru’s death anniversary.