Port Blair rape case: Chief Secy erased evidence of more victims

A Special Investigation Team of Andaman & Nicobar Police, set up to probe the Port Blair gang rape case, found enough evidence that the accused, former A&N Chief Secretary Jitendra Narain and three others had sexually assaulted more than one victim, a report in The Indian Express said.

The complaint against the former A&N Chief Secretary was filed by a 21-year-old in the island capital of Port Blair who said that Narain brutually raped her twice and one time, the then Union Territory Labour Commissioner Rishishwarlal Rishi was involved too.

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The over 900-page long charge sheet revealed that the co-accused Narain, Rishi and hotel owner Sandeep Singh coroborrated the sequence of the events leading to the assault but tried to hide their roles in the crime.

The report said that Narain and Rishi were made to confront each other as part of the probe process which was videographed to gather evidence wherein Rishi reaffirmed his disclosure statement and also revealed that Narain had asked him to bring women to his residence. Rishi also admitted that he took not one, but two women to Narain's house.

The SIT had received two letters from anonymous sources which claimed that more women had been victims but could not file a complaint due to the latter's influence.

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One complaint also reached the SIT from an Andaman & Nicobar government employee whose allegations are now being probed by the department’s Vishakha Committee on sexual harassment in the workplace, the report said.

The SIT also found incriminating evidence against Narain, such as tower locations, call records and some digital trails related to the case. Narain had reportedly also erased evidence from CCTV hard drives which contained proof of the women being brought to his official residence.

The accused have been charged under IPC sections 376 (punishment for rape), 376C (intercourse by superintendent of jail, remand home, etc), 376D (intercourse by any member of the management or staff of a hospital), 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 328 (causing hurt by means of poison, etc., with intent to commit an offence) and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence).