NEW DELHI: A 21-year-old woman from Sikkim has alleged that she was raped and assaulted by her former employer and a colleague in a south Delhi-based NGO, following which the two accused have been arrested, police said.
In her complaint, the woman told the police that she used to raise funds for the NGO and her job required travelling to Chandigarh, Shimla, Dehradun, and other places, and it was during one of those trips that one of the accused allegedly physically assaulted her.
The woman further alleged that she was raped by one of the accused while the other person filmed the act. The woman also alleged that the founder “headed NGOs by different names” and would bring girls from north-east on the pretext of providing them jobs and in turn “sexually abused” them, Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) said.
Speaking to The Citizen, Chairperson, DCW, Swati Maliwal said, “We want the women to feel safe and live in the capital without fear. There is an effort to instill confidence among women travelling from north east or elsewhere to the capital to come forward and share their experiences. We will ensure security and safety. We are there for each and every women. They travel in search of good future and we are here to support them to do that. No one can take liberties”
The Commission acting upon the complaint took strong cognizance taken up the case with the police officials and an FIR was registered at the Hauz Khas Police Station.
Police said that the woman had come to Delhi around a year ago. She said that she was brought here by the NGO and she quit her job in December after the alleged sexual assault. She approached DCW around a week ago, following which they approached the police.
On one occasion, the founder of the NGO also allegedly forced himself upon the woman after calling her at his house and later sent her some e-mails. The accused confessed to the crime when he was confronted with those mails, a police official said. The accused were produced before a court, which has remanded them to 14-day judicial custody, the official added.
Maliwal said, “There are bodies meant to look into these kind of complaints. State trafficking committee was supposed to look into it but they have not even met since it has been formed. We want the women to feel safe. This can be ensured if we are around whenever needed with all the possible help. The steps have been taken to call a meeting. We have taken measures to curb trafficking and introduce some new steps to keep a check on it”.