An FIR has been filed against a Wing Commander after a female flying officer accused him of rape. Both officers are currently stationed in Jammu and Kashmir's Srinagar.
The Indian Air Force stated it is fully cooperating with the police investigation.
PTI reported that the FIR was filed under "relevant sections of the law" at Budgam police station in central Kashmir on Saturday after the complaint.
A senior IAF official told PTI, "We are aware of the case. The Air Force Station in Srinagar was approached by the local Budgam police station on the subject. We are fully cooperating towards this case," .
The woman officer has reported experiencing ongoing harassment, sexual assault, and mental torture over the past two years, primarily at the hands of authorities at the Air Force Station in Srinagar.
She claims these abuses have been a persistent issue throughout her time at the station.
Woman Officer Alleges Bias, Delay In Investigation At Air Force Station
According to Indian Express report, the woman has revealed in her complaint that after a New Year’s Party at the Officers’ Mess in Srinagar on December 31, 2023, she was forced into performing a sexual act by the Wing Commander.
She said the assault occurred around 2 am on January 1 when the Wing Commander invited her to his room under the pretext of giving her a New Year gift.
The officer was quoted by IE saying, “I went into a mental shock being new to the atmosphere in the forces. I was embarrassed and… broken to that extent … lacking courage to report. I can’t describe the mental agony, being an unmarried girl… treated in such a heinous manner… the incident and nightmares put me in the dilemma of whether to discuss or be quiet, finally I took a call and decided to fight."
Further, the officer claimed that her complaint was not taken seriously by the senior IAF officers of the station.
Expressing frustration over the slow response of the Air Force Station in assembling an Internal Committee (IC) to investigate her case, she elaborated that the IC was only formed on April 2, 2024 and accused the station of being bias towards the accused and delaying her medical examination until the investigation's final day.
She also claimed that her request to summon a witness who had been removed from the camp area was ignored, despite providing evidence of false statements from other witnesses.
The IC reportedly concluded the investigation on May 15 but deemed the case inconclusive due to a lack of eyewitnesses.
The officer stated that no action has been taken or communicated to her since then, leading her to file an FIR with the J&K Police as a result of the IAF’s inaction.
This incident surfaces at a time when the brutal rape and murder of a 31-year-old trainee doctor at her workplace in Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital ignited nationwide protests and call for casework by fellow doctors in Bengal demanding justice for the victim and better safety measure for female employees.
Safety of women continues to be a far fetched reality in India as reports of sexual harassment at workplaces surface almost everyday.
