Bengaluru: A 21-year-old engineering student from a private college in South Bengaluru has been arrested for allegedly raping his classmate inside a men’s washroom on campus.

Police identified the accused as Jeevan Gowda, a sixth-semester student at the institution. He was taken into custody on Wednesday and remanded to judicial custody. The alleged assault occurred on October 10, while the survivor, a seventh-semester student at the same college, filed a complaint five days later on October 15, according to a report by NDTV.

The case has been registered under Section 64 (Punishment for Rape) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), as per the First Information Report (FIR).

Survivor’s account

The FIR stated that the accused and the survivor were previously classmates, but Gowda had fallen behind due to academic backlogs. On the day of the incident, the survivor had met him briefly to collect some belongings.

During the lunch break, Gowda allegedly called her several times, asking her to meet him near the architecture block on the seventh floor. When she arrived, he reportedly tried to kiss her. As she attempted to leave using the lift, Gowda allegedly followed her to the sixth floor, dragged her into a men’s washroom, locked the door, and sexually assaulted her.

He also allegedly took away her phone when it started ringing during the assault. The incident reportedly took place between 1:30 pm and 1:50 pm.

Complaint and investigation

The FIR mentioned that the survivor confided in two friends after the assault. Gowda later called her, allegedly asking if she “needed a pill.” Initially too distressed to approach the police, she later informed her parents, who accompanied her to file a complaint at the Hanumanthanagar Police Station.

Police have reconstructed the crime scene and are analysing forensic and digital evidence. Authorities confirmed there were no CCTV cameras installed on the floor where the incident occurred, which may complicate evidence collection.

The college has not issued any public statement so far.

Political reactions

The incident has triggered strong political responses. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accused the ruling Congress government of failing to maintain law and order.

Leader of Opposition R. Ashoka said Karnataka has seen a sharp rise in crimes against women.

“The law and order in Karnataka has collapsed. In just four months, there have been 979 sexual assaults on girls. Bengaluru alone has reported over 114 cases. Our women and children are living in fear due to the state government’s inaction,” he said.

Ashoka added that he has written to the National Commission for Women (NCW), urging it to send a fact-finding team to the state.

Background

The alleged incident comes amid growing public concern over women’s safety in Karnataka, following recent high-profile cases, including the murder of a tribal girl in Mysuru and the suicide of a librarian in Kalaburagi.

Police said they are awaiting forensic results and mobile data analysis to establish the full sequence of events.