New Delhi:

Three weeks after his daughter, a student of the National Institute of Fashion Technology died by suicide in Bhubaneswar, a Delhi man is still searching for answers. The distraught father has alleged the 22-year-old had said in her suicide note that she was drugged and sexually harassed at a party.

The 4th-year NIFT student (names withheld) was found dead at her rented accommodation in Bhubaneswar, which she shared with some other students of the college. She was found hanging from a ceiling fan by her neighbour, a fellow NIFT student, and her mother, who broke down the door after she did not respond when they rang the doorbell or called her on her phone repeatedly.

The student’s father has said the police registered a case of abetment to suicide only on May 4, after he flew down to Bhubaneswar. He has also filed a complaint with the National Human Rights Commission.

He alleged that, in her suicide note, his daughter had said she was drugged and sexually harassed at a party by a man, which had made her turn to drugs and alcohol to cope with the traumatic incident. She had also written that she felt out of place in the fashion world and was unable to deal with the pressure.

Her flatmates said they did not know about any such incident but said she had been under stress, which they had chalked up to the anxiety of getting placements.

The institute’s authorities refused to comment, but sources said a committee has been formed to probe the reasons behind her death.

“NIFT allows no parties inside the campus in which alcohol is served. We don’t know what happened outside the campus,” said a source.

“I cannot bring back my daughter, but I want to ensure that she gets justice. I want to make sure nothing like this ever happens to any student studying in NIFT,” he added.

Kolkata:

West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose has issued a directive to all staff members of Raj Bhavan in Kolkata, instructing them to disregard any communication from the state police regarding the recent sexual harassment complaint filed against him by a temporary staffer.

The directive, shared on the official handle of Raj Bhavan, explicitly prohibits staff members, whether permanent or temporary, from making any statements online, offline, in person, over the phone, or through any other means regarding the ongoing investigation.

This move follows the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) by the Kolkata Police to probe the allegations against the Governor, including the SIT’s request for CCTV footage from the Raj Bhavan premises.

In his notification, Governor Bose cited Article 361 (2) and (3) of the Constitution, which grants immunity to governors from any investigation or legal proceedings during their term in office by the state police.

The Kolkata Police, however, has remained undeterred, actively pursuing leads in the case. The SIT has reportedly sought to speak with witnesses and obtain evidence relevant to the complaint.

The allegations surfaced ahead of a visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. PM Modi is in Kolkata and is spending the night at the Raj Bhavan.  

Police sources said this afternoon, a woman claiming to be a temporary staff member attached to the Peace Room in the Raj Bhavan had approached the police post located inside the Governor’s House and accused Mr Bose of molesting her.

The Governor, who has vehemently denied the accusations since their emergence, recently released an audio message alleging political motives behind the controversy. He warned Raj Bhavan staff to remain vigilant against potential infiltrators with malicious intent.

Hyderabad:

A 17-year-old student in Visakhapatnam has died by suicide after jumping off her college building. In a long text exchange with her family minutes before she took the plunge, the student said she was sexually harassed at the college and could not complain to the institution’s authorities or the police because her harassers had taken photos of her and had threatened to post them on social media. 

In the heart-rending messages, the girl told her family that some of her fellow students in the college had also been sexually assaulted, and then addressed her elder sister, writing, “Sorry didi, I have to go.”

The teenager was a student of a polytechnic college in Visakhapatnam – name withheld to protect her identity – and her family, which lives in neighbouring Anakapalle district of Andhra Pradesh, had got a call from the institute’s authorities around 10 pm on Thursday that she had gone missing. When she did not answer her phone for some time, the family informed the police. 

Around 12.50 am on Friday, the girl finally responded to frantic messages from her family and asked them not to be tense.

“Don’t get tense, listen to me, I can’t tell you why I am leaving and, even if I do, you won’t understand. Please forget about me. I am really sorry. Mom and dad, I am grateful that you gave birth to me and brought me up. My chapter is coming to an end,” she wrote in Telugu. 

Congratulating her elder sister, who is expecting a baby, the girl also had a message for her younger sister, “Focus on your future and study whatever you like. Don’t get distracted, don’t be influenced by others, unlike me. Always be happy, and have a good life.”

Then, addressing her father specifically, the teenager wrote that she was taking the step because she was sexually harassed in college. “You may ask why I am not complaining to the faculty, but that won’t help. They (her harassers) have taken my photos and are threatening me. There are other girls as well. We aren’t being able to tell anyone and we are not being able to avoid college either. We are caught in between. If I file a police complaint or approach the authorities, they will release my photos on social media.”

“The reason I am taking this decision is that if I go away now, you will feel bad for a few years and you will forget later. But, if I am around, you will look at me and feel bad all the time,” she told her father before leaving a final message for her elder sister: “Sorry didi, I made you all tense, but I have to go”.

The family responded immediately, telling her the police were on the way and pleading with her not to make any rash decisions, but got no response. The teenager’s body was found some time later.

The girl’s father said a police complaint has been filed. “I need to know why my daughter died. I brought her up with great love and care. She got good marks in her Class 10 exams and we got her admitted to this college believing that she would get a good education here.”

‘No Men Have Access’

The college’s principal said men cannot access the women’s hostel. “We keep observing all students. Men cannot go to the girls’ hostel. There are women wardens, so there is no chance of sexual harassment,” he claimed.

A police official said faculty members and other students are being questioned and all angles are being investigated. 

New Delhi:

The counsel for BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh argued on Monday that there is no basis for allegations levelled against the former chief of the Wrestling Federation Of India, or WFI.

He also argued that Mr Singh, an accused in the case of sexual harassment of women wrestlers, only checked the athletes’ pulse rate. 

“Without sexual intent checking pulse rate is not an offence,” he said.

Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and Vinod Tomar have been charge-sheeted in a case of sexual harassment, lodged on the basis of complaints by six women wrestlers.

The Oversight Committee was not formed on the basis of any complaint but on the basis of tweets posted tagging the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and Ministry of Home Affairs, the counsel argued.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate after hearing the part arguments listed the matter for further arguments on October 19.

Advocate Rajiv Mohan appeared for the BJP MP and argued that on January 18, 2023, the first protest began at Jantar Mantar and on January 19, one of the wrestlers, Babita Phogat, met the Union Minister for Sports.

He further argued that on January 20, 2023, the Sports Ministry and the Home Ministry were tagged on tweets. “Till this time no complaint was filed,” Advocate Rajiv Mohan said on behalf of Mr Singh.

It was stated that on January 23 the Oversight Committee was formed. 

“On the basis of the Government of India letter. The report was forwarded to Deputy Commissioner of Police New Delhi,” he said.

The defence counsel further argued that the Oversight Committee’s report is a part of the charge sheet and relies on documents, meaning thereby, it is a relied-upon document. It was supplied to police in pursuance of notice by police, the counsel argued.

“Till its (Oversight Committee) formation, there were no written or oral allegations,” the counsel argued.

On the point of the period of limitation, advocate Rajiv Mohan submitted that there is a difference between offence molestation and sexual harassment.

He argued that the wrestlers were well aware of what sexual harassment is and that the offence of sexual harassment is punishable by a period of three years, which is time-barred after three years.

Therefore to suit their case, the allegations of molestation were added to the complaints. The offence of sexual harassment is punishable with imprisonment of five years, he added.

He also pointed out that the Oversight Committee exonerated the coaches against whom allegations were levelled.

Advocate Mohan further argued that the letter is on record, which shows that the Oversight Committee was formed by the Government of India.

“If I am not exonerated, I am also not implicated in the report of the oversight committee,” Advocate Rajiv Mohan pointed out.

He submitted that the foundation of the allegations is not based on any complaint.

“Since there was no complaint to the Ministry or the Sports Authority of India (SAI), the committee proceeded on the basis of tweets,” he said.

Even after the formation of the committee, no complaint was filed, he added.

It was also submitted that the complainants were summoned their statements were recorded and the proceedings were video recorded. Only two affidavits out of six complainants were filed before the committee.

On the point of breathing pattern checking, the accused’s counsel referred to the statement of one of the witnesses who stated she never saw him (accused) touching any girl in an inappropriate manner. “He used to check the pulse rate,” the accused’s counsel submitted.

“Checking pulse without sexual intent is not an offence,” he added.

On the point of alleged incidents at the WFI Office, the BJP MP submitted, “I never called anyone to my WFI office. The complainant came on her own to confront me.”

As the complainant was not focusing on her game but more on tweets, he added.

“Why should I have checked the breathing pattern without occasion? It was not an occasion at my office to check it. If I was intended to molest, why would I check the breathing pattern by touching the stomach?” he asked.

“There is no mention of a breath test in the affidavit given by a complainant, he added. However, it was mentioned in the complaints,” the counsel argued.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)