A 30-year-old Dalit woman, pursuing her PhD in IIT-Madras, was allegedly raped by her fellow scholar and seven others on March 29, 2021. However, there was no FIR registered for a long time by the Mylapore All Women Police Station where the complaint was lodged.
Infact, the police officials registered the FIR only in June 2021, three months after the survivor tried to lodge the complaint.
According to a report by The News Minute (TNM), 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.
TNM accessed the FIR which was filed by the survivor where it is clearly alleges rape, sexual harassment, threats, emotional manipulation, gaslighting amidst others.
Police personnel however 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.
Kavitha Gajendran, who is the All India Democratic Women’s Association Chepauk-Triplicane area president shrugged off these claims and said that the survivor had mentioned her caste in the detailed FIR that she filed initially.
“The survivor told us that the investigating officer would not respond to her calls or messages. The behaviour of the police is clear, they wanted the survivor to tire out. The survivor also says that this officer believed the man’s version and eventually they all got bail. The police were hand in glove to make sure she leaves the campus without creating any more trouble,” she said.
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).
“The matter was forwarded to CCASH for investigation. According to the student, the incidents happened in 2018 and 2019 and she brought it to the notice of IIT Madras in August 2020. The institute immediately forwarded the matter to CCASH for investigation,” read the release.
It was added that IIT-M has been cooperating with the investigating authorities and extending all support to the survivor.
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