A 21-year-old engineering student, Jeevan Gowda, allegedly raped a senior inside a men’s washroom
The survivor, a seventh-semester student, filed a complaint on Oct 15, 2025
Police registered a case under Section 64 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita
A 21-year-old student of a private engineering college in Bengaluru has been arrested for allegedly raping a senior student inside a men’s washroom on the campus. The accused, identified as Jeevan Gowda, is currently in judicial custody. Police said the assault took place on October 10, 2025, but the survivor filed a complaint five days later, on October 15, 2025, at the Hanumanthanagar Police Station.
According to the First Information Report (FIR), both the survivor and the accused were students at the same college. Gowda, a sixth-semester student, was a year junior to the survivor, who is in the seventh semester. They knew each other from earlier classes, though Gowda had fallen behind academically.
On the day of the incident, during the lunch break, Gowda allegedly called the survivor several times and asked her to meet him near the architecture block on the seventh floor. When she arrived, he reportedly tried to kiss her. The survivor resisted and attempted to escape, but Gowda followed her to the sixth floor, dragged her into a men’s washroom, and locked the door. He then allegedly raped her between 1:30 pm and 1:50 pm.
The FIR mentions that the accused also took away her mobile phone during the assault to prevent her from answering a call from a friend. The survivor, in shock, later confided in two of her friends but did not immediately tell her parents. A few days later, with her family’s support, she approached the police and filed a complaint.
Following the report, the police registered a case under Section 64 (Punishment for Rape) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Officers conducted a crime scene inspection and reconstruction to collect evidence. Forensic tests are underway, but police said there were no CCTV cameras on the sixth and seventh floors of the building, which has made the investigation more difficult.
The case has caused widespread outrage in Bengaluru and beyond. Opposition BJP leaders have blamed the Congress-led state government for failing to maintain law and order.
BJP Leader R. Ashoka said on X that Karnataka has seen 979 cases of sexual assault on girls in the past four months, including 114 cases in Bengaluru. He described the incident as proof of a “collapse in law and order” and said that women and children are living in fear due to government inaction.
The accused, Jeevan Gowda, remains in judicial custody, and further investigation is ongoing. Police are verifying digital evidence and continuing forensic analysis to strengthen the case. [Rh/Eth/VP]
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