A 22-year-old woman was allegedly raped on the campus of a state-run university in Madhya Pradesh’s Jabalpur after being lured with the promise of a job, police said on December 27.
The incident allegedly took place at Jawaharlal Nehru Agricultural University. Police have arrested Durga Shankar Singerha (58), an upper division clerk (UDC), and Mukesh Sen, a peon at the university, in connection with the case.
According to the police, the survivor, who lives in the Tilwara area, came across a social media post about contractual vacancies at the university around 20 days ago. While looking for more details, she found a phone number linked to the vice-chancellor’s office and called it. The call was allegedly received by Singerha.
Additional Superintendent of Police Jitendra Kumar said the clerk informed the woman about the vacancies and asked her to visit the campus with her documents. She reportedly met him the next day, when he claimed he could help her get a job after speaking to the vice-chancellor and asked her to stay in touch.
Police said Singerha continued to meet the woman at different places in the city, repeatedly assuring her that the recruitment process was underway and that she would soon be called for an interview.
On December 25, the accused allegedly asked the woman to come to the university, saying that an interview might be held shortly. He then took her to the on-campus residence of Mukesh Sen. After a brief conversation, Sen allegedly stepped out and locked the room from outside.
“In her complaint, the woman alleged that Singerha raped her despite her resistance,” the ASP said.
After the alleged assault, Singerha reportedly dropped the woman outside the campus and threatened to defame her if she spoke about the incident, while again promising her a job, police said.
The woman later informed her family and approached Adhartal police station to lodge a complaint. Police arrested both accused from their homes within hours. They were produced before a court on December 26 and sent to judicial custody.