RAIPUR: Chhattisgarh police have lodged an FIR against an IAS officer on a rape complaint by a woman who alleged she was assaulted sexually in his office while he was the district collector of Janjgir-Champa district, about 170 km east of Raipur.
Janak Pathak, a 2007-batch IAS officer was transferred as commissioner land records on May 27.
According to the Janjgir-Champa police the woman personally reported the case to the district SP Parul Mathur with her written complaint. The victim, 30, who is associated with an NGO, stated that she was called by the collector on the pretext of offering some works to the organisation and raped her at the collectorate premises.
In her complaint, she claimed that the bureaucrat even threatened to dismiss her husband from government services if she doesn’t yield to his demand.
On a delay to file the rape complaint, the woman narrated that she could muster the courage of lodging the grievance against the collector only after he was transferred as she understands his influence might turn her complaint “weak and ineffective” and even rejected. She cited the incidents of rape about a month old. Despite repeated attempts, the IAS officer couldn’t be reached.
Besides the written complaint, the woman also produced supporting evidence following which the Janjgir-Champa police registered the case against Pathak under IPC Sections 376 (commits sexual assault), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 509 (gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman).
“A case has been registered against former collector and further investigation is being carried out”, Janjgir-Champa district police chief Mathur said.
Pathak is the second Chhattisgarh IAS officer booked for rape. Earlier a former Jashpur collector accused of sexually exploiting a woman government employee was sentenced to 7-year imprisonment in 2012 by the court.