While Uttar Pradesh Police are probing violence in Banaras Hindu University (BHU) campus where a girl was molested, records have thrown up another case of sexual assault that took place on the campus last year. It was a boy who had to undergo the trauma.
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As per the records of Lanka police station in Janpad, Varanasi, the incident occurred on August 17, 2016. The accused, who was identified as an administration staff at the university, served six months in prison.
Trauma faced by the victim
According to DNA, the 22-year-old victim, a law student at the university, was walking on the campus when he was dragged into a car.
The victim was not only forced into having unnatural sex with the accused but was also assaulted by other men who joined the culprit inside the car.
Though the victim was sexually assaulted by many men, police registered a case against only one man and booked him under sections 377, 328, 342 and 506 of the Indian Penal Code.
A friend of the survivor, who chose to remain anonymous, said that it took a while before a FIR was finally registered.
"He lives outside the campus now. No one other than close friends stood by him after the incident. Even the FIR was registered 15 days after the incident," the friend told DNA.
After the crime, a chargesheet was filed in November 2016 and the culprit was arrested in December 2016.
Authorities tried to hush up crime
Unfortunately, the incident failed to draw the attention of the media as the concerned authorities tried to hush up the crime.
"University officials, including the vice-chancellor and registrar, had dissuaded him from going to the police. But we went ahead and put pressure on the police to act on the complaint," the friend added.
In fact, not many students of this largest residential university of Asia were aware of the crime which the victim's friends feel is "because of BHU's homophobia."
"How can you expect someone in such a place to stand up for male rape victims?" the friend said.
