JNU PhD scholar accused of raping colleague after spiking her drink

NEW DELHI: A PhD student of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has been booked for allegedly raping a fellow scholar after drugging her at his hostel room on campus, police said, adding that the accused was absconding.

The FIR filed by the 28-year-old student, who is also pursuing her PhD, said accused Anmol Ratan offered her a spiked drink when she went to his room on Saturday to copy a movie on her pen drive. Hostels at the university do not follow gender segregation.

“The woman said Ratan messaged her that he had the copy of a film she wanted to see and offered to transfer it onto a pen drive. He came to her hostel and asked her to accompany him to his room at Brahmaputra hostel,” said a senior police officer. The message was in response to a Facebook post the victim had made in June asking if anyone had the copy of the movie, police said.

In her complaint, the victim said she accepted the drink offered by Ratan and lost consciousness. “She said Ratan raped her when she was unconscious. She tried to raise an alarm after regaining consciousness but Ratan did not allow her to leave,” the officer said.

Police said the accused, associated with the All India Students’ Association (AISA), threatened her with his “political clout” if she reported the matter.

On Sunday, the woman lodged a complaint with the Vasant Kunj North police, who booked Ratan under sections 376 (rape) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code.

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