New Delhi: An Air Force Wing Commander has been accused of raping and intimidating a 24-year-old woman, who claims to have been an ‘intern’ with the Indian Air Force.
The woman has lodged an FIR with the Delhi Police, alleging that the 38-year-old accused had repeatedly sexually abused her after making false promises of marriage and intimidating her.
According to the FIR filed at the Parliament Street police station on 1 December, the accused and victim had met in September last year. ThePrint has a copy of the FIR.
“He told me he likes me a lot and wants to get married to me. Despite me repeatedly telling him no, he established a physical relationship with me. I protested that this was wrong and that we should wait until we were married. However, he paid no heed and forced himself on me. Then he explained to me that he will soon get married to me,” read the FIR.
The woman, in the FIR, also claimed that the accused had lied to her about his marital status and family, and had even taken her to his parents’ house in Ambala, where she lived with them for several months.
She alleged that the accused forced himself on her despite her resistance, and assured her that he would marry her soon. He had also introduced her to his friends and colleagues as his wife, she added.
The woman said that she discovered the truth about the accused on 6 November, when she saw some photographs of him with another woman and two children on social media. She tried to contact him and his parents, but they did not answer her calls.
According to the FIR, she then went to his house in Ambala on 16 November, where he allegedly raped her again and threatened her with dire consequences. She filed the FIR after this incident.
However, the accused in his bail application submitted in the court, which ThePrint has seen, has denied the allegation and said they were in a “good friendly relationship and a consensual relationship”. He has also submitted that the woman was aware of his marital status.
A senior police officer told ThePrint that investigation in the case is on. “The woman is a resident of Delhi and the first instance of rape had taken place in Delhi. The accused has interim protection from arrest. He is being questioned,” the officer added.
ThePrint reached DCP (New Delhi) Pranav Tayal via calls and messages. This report will be updated if and when a response is received.
The PRO Defence (Western Command) also confirmed to ThePrint that they were aware of the allegations and the FIR. “The officer in question is fully cooperating with the investigation,” he added.
Meanwhile, the accused was granted anticipatory bail in the matter, the next date of hearing is 3 January.
Explaining the legal procedure to be undertaken in matters like these, military law expert advocate Major Sudhanshu S. Pandey said, the accused cannot be tried by the Indian Air Force.
“This matter has to be tried in the civil court as the alleged incident didn’t take place in an active field area like Jammu and Kashmir and the civilian is also not from an active field area. Further, the victim isn’t a part of the IAF. Hence, the accused can’t be tried by the IAF even if the woman writes to them,” Pandey said to ThePrint.
ThePrint reached the Wing Commander via calls and messages. The report will be updated if and when a response is received.
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‘Raped and threatened me’
In the FIR, the woman has narrated how the accused allegedly took her to meet his parents in Ambala.
“I started living there with his parents till April this year, and here he forced himself on me despite me saying no. He kept telling me that he would marry me. He would take me everywhere as his wife. Whenever I would ask him about marriage or pressure him over it, he would make some excuse. He convinced me that he had accepted me as his wife in front of his family and friends and wouldn’t deceive me. I trusted him,” the woman said in her complaint.
According to her, the accused even got engaged to her in Darjeeling this year.
However, she alleged in the FIR that it was on 6 November, that she saw photographs of him with another woman and his two children.
“I called him and his parents to find out but no one answered my calls. He called me later and asked me to give him time till 13 November saying that he would explain everything to me then. Instead, he blocked me. So I reached his house in Ambala on 16 November,” read the FIR.
However, when she confronted him about his deception, the accused allegedly declared their relationship was over, said the FIR.
“When I screamed, he raped me again and threatened me with dire consequences,” the FIR added.
‘Was aware of marital status’
The accused filed for anticipatory bail on 12 December in front of a Delhi court claiming that he had never hidden his marital status from the woman and that she was aware of his wife and children. He said that he had shown her some documents in his official capacity, which clearly mentioned his personal details.
Moreover, the accused submitted before the court that he had met the woman through his wife. The defence also claimed that he has been married since 2009 and that this fact was well known to the woman.
“The entire case of the prosecution revolved around one allegation that is a misrepresentation of fact about the marriage of the accused. That allegation of the complainant is completely false and frivolous and that fact can be verified from the CDR (call detail record) of the wife and the complainant,” the defence stated.
Further, the defence also claimed that the woman had pressured the accused to get her appointed as a permanent doctor with the IAF, and after he refused to help her, she started threatening him. The woman has been mentioned as a psychologist on temporary duty with the Indian Air Force in the court document submitted by the defence.
Meanwhile, speaking to ThePrint Sunday, the woman has denied all the claims made by the defence. “I wasn’t a psychologist, I was an intern. There was no way I had any military access to check his personal details and whatever forms he had filled in front of me, they didn’t have this question/category,” she said.
“I also don’t know his wife,” she added.
Speaking about the call details she said, “The CDRs they have mentioned are two calls with a span of one minute and that too in a timeline of one-and-a-half-years. I am a counsellor, I get many calls during the day.”
“Also, at that time, when the wife (as claimed by the accused) called, he could have attended those calls since we were living together in Ambala. My phone would be with him all the time,” the woman added.
(Edited by Richa Mishra)
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