The main accused in the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT-M) Kingshuk Debsharma has been granted bail the very next day of his arrest. He is the main accused in the rape and sexual assault of a 30-year-old Dalit woman PhD scholar.
He was arrested from West Bengal by a special team of Tamil Nadu police on March 27 and was kept under custody at Diamond Harbour police station in Kolkata. The Tamil Nadu police obtained a transit order to take him back. However, on March 28, Kingshuk managed to secure bail.
The News Minute had earlier reported that the survivor was allegedly raped by Kingshuk Debsharma and seven others. She was sexually assaulted from 2016 to 2020. However, there was no FIR registered for a long time by the Mylapore All Women Police Station where the complaint was lodged.
The police registered an FIR under sections 354 (assault of criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 354B (assault or use of criminal force to woman with intent to disrobe), 354C (voyeurism) and 506(1) (punishment for criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code.
Neither rape charges nor an SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act case was invoked by the police for a year and no arrests were made.
According to media reports, police personnel said that they were not aware that the survivor was a Dalit and hence did not invoke the SC/ST Act. Also, the decision to not include rape was based on legal advice.
Meanwhile, IIT-Madras in a release said that all processes were followed when the complaint was registered with the Complaints Committee Against Sexual Harassment (CCASH).
Follow on Twitter | Posted by Veena Nair | 
