A woman officer in the Indian Air Force has accused a Wing Commander of rape and mental torture. Following her complaint, an FIR was registered at the Budgam police station in Jammu and Kashmir. Both officers are stationed in Srinagar.
“We are aware of the matter. The Budgam police station has contacted the Indian Air Force in Srinagar regarding the issue, and we are fully cooperating with the local authorities,” the Indian Air Force stated.
In her complaint, the flying officer has alleged harassment, sexual assault, and mental torture over the past two years. She recounted that during a New Year’s Eve party at the officers’ mess on December 31, 2023, her senior officer asked if she had received a gift. When she said she had not, the Wing Commander said the gifts were in his room and led her there. When she questioned about his family, he claimed they were elsewhere.
The flying officer has alleged that her senior forced her into oral sex and molested her. “I repeatedly asked him to stop doing it and tried to resist it in all ways possible. Finally, I pushed him and ran away. He said that we would meet me on Friday again when his family leaves,” she said.
“I was afraid and didn’t know what to do as there were instances before also wherein I was discouraged to report. He visited my office post this incident… He behaved as if nothing happened and there was no sign of remorse in his eyes,” she said.
The woman officer then reached out to two other women officers who advised her to file an official complaint. “I can’t describe (the) mental agony, being an unmarried girl who joined forces and was treated in such (a) heinous manner,” she said.
Accordingly, a Colonel-rank officer was ordered to investigate the incident. The woman was made to sit down with the Wing Commander twice in January to record the statements, she alleged. She said she objected to the senior officer’s presence. Later, the investigation was closed to “hide mistakes of administration”, she alleged forcing her to file a fresh application to the internal committee, which met two months later. She added that that a medical examination was not done till she insisted multiple times.
The internal committee, she has said, said that it is inconclusive whether the incident happened or not because of the lack of an eyewitness and closed its probe in May.
“Isn’t it common sense that someone would not do sexual assault in front of a witness?”
“The bias of Stn (Station) authorities to aid the sexual offender was very heart-breaking for me,” she said.
“IC (internal committee) did not do its job properly as directions had come from higher formation to keep the result as neutral. Everyone was aiding the sexual offender,” the officer said.
“I requested for interim relief and requested for leave multiple times but I was denied leave each time,” she said, alleging that her requests for a different posting for herself or the Wing Commander were not heeded either.
“I am forced to socialise with these people and attend events with my abuser…While he is enjoying. I am getting harassed in (the) hands of authorities on a daily basis,” she said.
The flying officer has complained of “continuous mental harassment” and “social boycott”. “My personal communications have been constantly monitored unofficially. The individuals I speak with are harassed by the authorities.”
The ongoing harassment, she said, has had a severe impact on her mental health. “I am living in constant fear, under 24/7 scrutiny and my social life has been completely disrupted. The harassment has driven me to suicidal thoughts, and I feel utterly helpless. I am unable to carry on with my daily life, and my social interactions are closely monitored and discouraged by authorities. I have endured this torture for too long, and I am at my breaking point,” she said.
