A 21-year-old engineering student from a private college in South Bengaluru has been arrested for allegedly raping his classmate inside a men’s washroom on the campus.

Police identified the accused as Jeevan Gowda, a sixth-semester student at the institution. He was taken into custody on Wednesday and has since been remanded to judicial custody. The alleged assault took place on 10 October, while the survivor, a seventh-semester student at the same college, filed a complaint five days later on 15 October, as per a report by NDTV.

The case has been registered under Section 64 (Punishment for Rape) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), as per the First Information Report (FIR).

The FIR revealed that the two students were previously classmates, but Gowda had fallen behind due to academic backlogs. On the day of the incident, the survivor had met him briefly to collect some belongings. During the lunch break, Gowda allegedly called her several times, asking her to meet him near the architecture block on the seventh floor.

When she arrived, he reportedly tried to kiss her. As she attempted to leave using the lift, Gowda is said to have followed her to the sixth floor, dragged her into a men’s toilet, locked the door and sexually assaulted her. He also allegedly took away her phone when it started ringing during the assault. The incident is believed to have taken place between 1:30 pm and 1:50 pm.

The FIR mentions that the survivor later confided in two of her friends about the assault. It also states that Gowda called her afterwards, allegedly asking if she “needed a pill.” Initially too distressed and scared to approach the police, the survivor later informed her parents, who accompanied her to file a complaint at the Hanumanthanagar Police Station.

Police have reconstructed the crime scene as part of the investigation. Authorities confirmed that there were no CCTV cameras installed on the floor where the assault occurred, which could make evidence collection challenging. However, forensic and digital evidence is being analysed.

The case has sparked strong political reactions, particularly from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which accused the ruling Congress government of failing to maintain law and order.

Leader of Opposition R. Ashoka criticised the government, stating that Karnataka has witnessed a sharp rise in crimes against women. ‘’ The law and order in Karnataka has collapsed. In just four months, there have been 979 sexual assaults on girls. Bengaluru alone has reported over 114 cases. Our women and children are living in fear due to the state government's criminal inaction. From the brutal rape and murder of a tribal girl in Mysuru to the tragic suicide of a librarian in Kalaburagi - this is a moral and administrative failure."

Ashoka added that he has written to the National Commission for Women (NCW), urging it to send a fact-finding team to Karnataka.

The college where the alleged assault took place has not issued any public statement so far.