A 22-year-old student was arrested for allegedly raping a senior at a private engineering college in Bengaluru, police said on Friday. The accused, Jeevan Gowda, was taken into custody and later sent to judicial custody after the survivor filed a complaint at the Hanumanthanagar police station.
The assault reportedly took place on October 10 inside the college, but it was reported five days later. The survivor, a seventh-semester student, approached authorities with the support of her parents.
Police said both the survivor and the accused knew each other and studied at the same institution. Jeevan was a year behind due to academic backlogs.
According to the complaint, the survivor met the accused during lunch to collect study materials. He allegedly called her to the seventh floor near the architecture block, attempted to kiss her, and when she resisted, forcibly dragged her to the men’s toilet on the sixth floor and raped her. Her phone was reportedly taken during the assault.
Police have begun forensic tests. However, the lack of CCTV cameras on the floor where the incident occurred has complicated the investigation.
The incident has drawn political reactions. BJP leader R Ashok said Karnataka recorded over 979 sexual assault cases involving girls in the past four months, including 114 in Bengaluru. He demanded immediate action to improve women’s safety.
Ashok added, “The brutal rape and rising crimes against women show moral and administrative failure. The safety of women and children cannot be compromised.”
