Mumbai: Did IIT employee drug, rape student?

Mumbai: Friends of a student from IIT-Bombay have alleged she was raped by one of the staffers of the prestigious institution on Saturday. Cops, however, claim the 27-year-old woman, Anjana Gokhale (name changed) has denied that any such incident occurred and has so far refused to file a case or get a medical examination done.

According to the allegations, the girl went to play tennis with the staffer, 55-year-old Nirmal Solanki (name changed), at the facility inside the institute. The two played quite regularly. Afterwards, both went to the latter’s accommodation where he offered Anjana some snacks, and coffee laced with sedatives. Nirmal then raped her and left the scene.

After Anjana regained consciousness, she called up some friends, who found her in Nirmal’s room and took her to IIT Bombay hospital. Doctors there referred her to Rajawadi hospital, where Anjana is admitted right now.

‘Give her time’

When contacted by MiD DAY, Jaya Joshi, spokesperson for IIT-Bombay, said, “The girl, who is pursuing her PhD in Physics, is in ICU and is not in a condition to speak about the incident. A case has not yet been registered. Let her recover and then all the details would be shared with the media. We will take action after knowing the facts from the doctors and police. The case is under investigation. When the case was discovered the offender was instantly handed over to the police. However, the fact that she has been raped or molested has not yet been established.”

“We hope to get a statement from her on Monday, as she needs medical care right now. But, so far, she has denied that any such incident has occurred. She maintains that she was studying all through the previous night and perhaps lost consciousness at the staffer’s dwelling. We will try to get a medical examination done, but we need her consent for that. No case has been registered as Anjana has refused it, but we have made a diary entry. Nirmal has been released for now, but he has been asked not to leave town as long as the matter is being probed,” said sub-inspector Hemant Kadalkar from Powai police station who is the investigating officer for the case.