An engineering student was allegedly sexually assaulted by an assistant professor on Monday, at the campus of Malla Reddy Engineering College in Hyderabad. The Petbasheerabad police have arrested 30-year-old Venkataiah, an assistant professor and lab-in-charge in connection with the student’s complaint.
The 19-year-old woman, who is pursuing her second year of BTech, said that she went to the lab after Venkataiah called her on December 23. The accused then allegedly latched the door of the lab from inside and sexually assaulted her.
The woman informed her parents about the incident after reaching home, following which the family approached the police station and filed a complaint.
The college is owned and run by Telangana's Minister for Labour and Employment Malla Reddy, and his family. Malla Reddy, who belongs to the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), is also an MLA from Medchal, where most of the educational institutes run by him are situated.
After the complaint was filed, the woman was sent for a medical examination, and the accused was held by the police. Investigation officials said that Venkataiah had been working at the institute for around three years and confessed to the crime upon questioning. They added that there were no CCTV cameras installed in the lab at the college.
A case has been registered under Section 376 (Rape) of the IPC.
Last month, a woman veterinarian – Disha* – was gang-raped and murdered near Hyderabad on November 28, triggering off massive protests across the country. The brutal crime had also highlighted the issue of women safety in India, with many demanding accountability from the government to ensure their safety.
Many also demanded capital punishment to the accused. The four accused in the Disha case, who were held on November 30, were later killed in an encounter with the police on December 6. The encounter has come under legal scrutiny.
Earlier this week, a team of doctors from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi visited the state-run Gandhi Hospital in Hyderabad and conducted the second autopsy on the bodies of the four men, on the High Court's orders.