University clerk, peon arrested for alleged rape of woman on campus in Madhya Pradesh

A 22-year-old woman was allegedly raped by a clerk of a state government-run university on its campus in Madhya Pradesh’s Jabalpur city on the pretext of providing her a job, police said on December 27.
The police arrested Durga Shankar Singerha (58), an upper division clerk (UDC), and Mukesh Sen, a peon, on December 25 in connection with the incident that allegedly took place at Jawaharlal Nehru Agricultural University.
According to the police, the survivor, a resident of the Tilwara area, had come across information on social media about contractual vacancies at the university around 20 days ago. While searching for further details, she found a telephone number of the vice-chancellor’s office and contacted it, following which Singerha allegedly received her call.
Additional Superintendent of Police Jitendra Kumar said Singerha informed the woman about the vacancies and asked her to visit the university with relevant documents. She reportedly met him on campus the next day, where he assured her that he could help her secure a job after speaking to the vice-chancellor and asked her to remain in contact.
The accused clerk allegedly continued to meet the woman on several occasions in the city, repeatedly assuring her that the recruitment process was underway and that an interview would be scheduled soon, police said.
On December 25, Singerha allegedly called the woman to the university, claiming that an interview was likely to be held shortly. He then asked her to come to the house of Mukesh Sen, located on the university campus. After some conversation, Sen allegedly left the room and bolted the door from outside.
“The woman, in her complaint, alleged that Singerha raped her despite her protests,” the ASP said.
After the alleged assault, the accused allegedly dropped the woman outside the university campus and threatened her with defamation if she disclosed the incident, promising her a job if she remained silent, police said.
The woman later informed her family and lodged a complaint at Adhartal police station. Acting swiftly, the police arrested both accused from their residences within hours of receiving the complaint.
The duo was produced before a court on December 26 and remanded to judicial custody, the ASP added.