Women's Panel Forms Team To Probe Bhopal College Rape, Blackmail Cases

The National Commission for Women (NCW) has formed a three-member committee to investigate rape, gang-rape, and blackmail cases involving students and alumni of a college in Madhya Pradesh's capital Bhopal.

The committee has been told to give a report within 10 days. The NCW took up the matter on its own after seeing what it said were disturbing media reports.

A fifth survivor has come forward to file a complaint, sources said. Gang-rape has been confirmed, they said.

A video of the survivor was found in the mobile phone of the accused, identified as Farhan, sources said, adding another accused named Ali was also seen in the horrific video.

Several other women students were allegedly gang-raped and blackmailed by the accused from the same college, the reports said.

Many of the survivors reportedly did not file police complaints initially due to fear of threats, harm and intimidation.

The NCW named retired Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Nirmal Kaur as the committee's chairperson. Ms Kaur was Jharkhand Director General of Police.

The other members are Jabalpur High Court lawyer Nirmala Nayak and NCW undersecretary Ashutosh Pande.

The NCW told the committee to investigate the allegations, speak to the authorities concerned and the survivors, and recommend remedial actions to prevent recurrence of such incidents.

Members of the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) may help the committee, the NCW said.