Bengaluru engineering student drags classmate into men’s washroom, rapes her; later asks, ‘Do you need a pill?’

An engineering student from a private college in South Bengaluru was allegedly raped by her classmate inside the men’s washroom of the college campus. The accused, a 21-year-old man, was arrested by the police following a complaint.

The accused has been identified as Jeevan Gowda and was taken into custody by the police on Wednesday. He is a sixth semester student at the college.

As per a report by NDTV, Gowda has been awarded a judicial custody.

The incident allegedly took place on October 10, and the survivor, a seventh semester student of the same college, filed her complaint five days later on October 15.

As per the First Information Report (FIR), a case has been registered against the accused under Section 64 (Punishment for Rape) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Bengaluru rape: What does the FIR say?

According to the FIR cited by NDTV, the survivor and Gowda knew each other from before. They were classmates but Gowda had fallen behind due to some academic backlogs.

The survivor had met the accused on the day of the incident to take back some of her belongings earlier.

Following that during lunch break, Gowda reportedly called her several times. He asked her over the phone to meet him near the architecture block on the seventh floor.

When the victim arrived, the accused reportedly tried to kiss her forcefully and followed her to the sixth floor when she attempted to escape taking the lift.

As she tried to leave, Gowda reportedly dragged her into the men’s washroom and sexually assaulted her.

The NDTV report further notes that the alleged Bengaluru rape incident is said to have taken place between 1:30 pm and 1:50 pm on October 10.

According to the FIR, Gowda called the victim later and asked her, “Do you need a pill?”

The woman initially hesitated to report the incident to the police as she was distressed and frightened, officials said. However, she had confided in two of her friends.

She later informed her parents, who eventually managed to take her to the Hanumanthanagar police station to file a complaint.

The crime scene did not have CCTV cameras installed, authorities confirmed to NDTV, adding that it could complicate evidence gathering. However, officials are examining forensic and digital evidence to make the case.

Police also recreated the crime scene on Thursday, officials said.

The Bengaluru rape incident has sparked widespread outrage in Bengaluru, with opposition BJP blaming the Siddaramaiah government over deteriorating law and order in the state.