Woman raped on agri university campus in Jabalpur; two held
Jabalpur (PTI): A 22-year-old woman was allegedly raped by a clerk of a state government-run university on the campus on the pretext of providing her a job at the facility in Madhya Pradesh's Jabalpur city, police said on Saturday.
The police on Thursday arrested Durga Shankar Singerha (58), an upper division clerk (UDC), and Mukesh Sen, a peon, in connection with the assault that took place on the campus of the Jawaharlal Nehru Agricultural University.
The survivor, a resident of the Tilwara area, came across information on social media about contractual vacancies at the university around 20 days ago, Additional Superintendent of Police Jitendra Kumar told reporters.
He said that while searching for contact details, the woman found a telephone number for the vice-chancellor's office, and Singerha received her call, allegedly informed her about the vacancies and asked her to come to the university with documents.
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She reached the university with documents the very next day and met Singerha, who assured her that he could get her a job after speaking to the vice-chancellor and asked her to stay in touch, the officer said.
According to the police, Singerha continued to meet the woman several times in the city, kept assuring her that the recruitment process was underway and that an interview would be held soon.
The accused allegedly called her to the university on Thursday afternoon, claiming that an interview would be scheduled shortly, they said.
He asked the survivor to come to Sen's house situated on the university campus, and after a chat, the accused peon left the room, bolting the door from outside.
"The woman, in her complaint, alleged that Singerha raped her despite her protests," the official said.
Following the assault, the accused duo dropped her outside the university campus and threatened her with defamation if she spoke about the incident, and said she would get a job if she kept mum, police said.
The woman later informed her family and lodged a complaint at Adhartal police station, following which both accused were arrested from their homes within hours, the ASP said.
The duo was produced before a court on Friday and were remanded in judicial custody, he added.
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KC Venugopal says government should have acted with “sensitivity” in B’luru demolition drive
Bengaluru: Senior Congress leader and AICC General Secretary K C Venugopal has expressed regret over the manner in which the Karnataka government’s demolition drive in Kogilu village was carried out, saying the action should have been undertaken with greater caution and “compassion,” according to a tweet on Friday.
The demolition operation, led by the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) in Yelahanka’s Kogilu village, razed more than 200 homes and structures in Fakir Colony and Waseem Layout in the early hours of December 20 as part of an anti-encroachment drive. Authorities say the land was illegally occupied and has been earmarked for public infrastructure purposes, including waste management facilities. Residents and activists, however, allege that the action was executed without adequate notice or rehabilitation plans, leaving hundreds of families homeless and sparking protests in parts of the city.
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In his social media post, Venugopal said he had spoken to Siddaramaiah, Chief Minister of Karnataka, and D. K. Shivakumar, Deputy Chief Minister, regarding the demolition. He conveyed the All India Congress Committee’s “serious concern” that the operation should have been conducted with more sensitivity and that the human impact on affected families should have been central to planning.
Venugopal quoted the assurances he received from both leaders that they would “personally engage with the affected families,” establish a mechanism to address grievances, and “ensure rehabilitation and relief” for those impacted by the clearances.
Local residents and advocacy groups had criticised the drive for a lack of prior notice, claiming they were not given adequate time or information to vacate, despite living in the area for many years. Some said they held official identity documents and had invested significant resources in building their homes.
