Investigating allegations of sexual assault and gangrape against the former Andaman & Nicobar (A&N) Islands chief secretary, Jitendra Narain, and Labour Commissioner RL Rishi by a 21-year-old woman, the A&N Police and a Special Investigation Team (SIT) found evidence of an alleged "job-for-sex" racket, a report stated.
What Are the Allegations Against the Bureaucrats?
Over 20 women were allegedly taken to Narain's residence in Port Blair during his tenure, some of whom are said to have gotten jobs in lieu of being sexually assaulted, The Indian Express reported.
Narain is scheduled to appear before the SIT on Friday, 28 October, which has been set by the Calcutta High Court as the deadline for his appearance.
Evidence of the Prosecution
Senior police officials said that the call data records and cell phone tower locations of the phones of the two bureaucrats, who have since been suspended, and the 21-year-old woman had matched the sequence of events described by the latter.
It has also been confirmed that the hard disk of the CCTV camera installed at Narain's residence had been erased and the digital video recorder (DVR) had been removed at the time of his transfer from Port Blair to Delhi in July this year, the report said.
Further, a Public Works Department (PWD) official and a CCTV expert are also said to have given their testimonies alleging destruction of the recordings.
While arguing for denial of transit bail to the chief secretary, the prosecution had said before the Delhi High Court that the statement of the victim had been corroborated by a "protected witness" and electronic evidence, further adding that there were instances of tampering of evidence by the accused.
"We have formed an SIT and are confident about the oral and electronic evidences collected by them. As the investigation progresses, we are preparing to present a strong case in court," A&N Director General of Police Neeraj Thakur was quoted as saying by The Indian Express.
What Has the Accused Said?
Denying the allegations, Narain wrote to the Home Ministry and the A&N administration that a conspiracy was afoot against him and that he had "specific materials which demonstrate the fake nature of the case."
Narain was suspended on 17 October at the direction of the Home Ministry and is currently on interim bail till 14 November. Rishi had also been suspended and a non-bailable warrant was issued against him.
(With inputs from The Indian Express.)
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