Engineering student held for sexually assaulting college mate inside men’s washroom, also asks her if she needs pill
The FIR states that the two students knew each other and were earlier classmates before the accused fell behind academically due to a backlog
PTC Web Desk: A 21-year-old engineering student has been arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting his college mate inside a men’s washroom at a private engineering institution in South Bengaluru, the police said.
The accused, identified as Jeevan Gowda, a sixth-semester student, was taken into custody on Wednesday and has been remanded to judicial custody. The alleged incident occurred on October 10, while the survivor, a seventh-semester student at the same college, lodged a complaint on October 15.
According to the First Information Report (FIR), the case has been registered under Section 64 (Punishment for Rape) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The FIR states that the two students knew each other and were earlier classmates before the accused fell behind academically due to a backlog.
On the day of the incident, the victim had met Gowda earlier to collect some personal belongings. During lunch break, Gowda allegedly called her several times and asked her to meet him near the architecture block on the seventh floor. When she arrived, he reportedly tried to force himself on her and later followed her to the sixth floor, where he is accused of dragging her into a men’s washroom and sexually assaulting her.
The report further mentions that the accused locked the washroom door and took away her phone when it rang during the assault. The alleged incident took place between 1:30 pm and 1:50 pm. The survivor later confided in two friends and eventually informed her parents before filing a police complaint. The FIR also states that the accused called the victim to ask 'if she needed a pill'.
The police have conducted a crime scene reconstruction, and forensic as well as digital evidence is being examined. Investigators confirmed that no CCTV cameras were installed on the floor where the assault allegedly occurred, which may make evidence collection challenging.
The private college where the incident allegedly occurred has not yet released any official statement.