NHRC Directs Hyderabad Police To Probe VNR VJIET Student Case

Hyderabad: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) directed the city police to take appropriate action on a complaint alleging human rights violations and lapses in the handling of a sexual assault case involving a 20-year-old student of VNR Vignana Jyothi Institute of Engineering and Technology (VNR VJIET), Bachupally. The commission has directed the authority concerned to conduct an inquiry, associate the complainant and victim with the proceedings and submit an action-taken report within four weeks.

The direction was issued on Thursday, following a complaint filed on May 30 by Dr R.N. Shankar, a former national executive member of the All India Students Federation and senior student leader and scholar at Osmania University. The NHRC forwarded the complaint to the authorities concerned for appropriate action as per law and directed that the complainant be informed of the action taken.

The case, registered at Bachupally police station on February 28 under Sections 64, 75 and 351(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), based on a complaint by the student’s mother. The FIR recorded the allegations that the student was subjected to repeated sexual assault, intimidation and digital exploitation over about one-and-a-half years. It also states that an alleged assault in October 2024 at D Block, Room No. 303, was witnessed by college personnel.

According to the FIR, the student’s family later approached the college principal and mechanical department head. The FIR recorded that the college authorities “failed to act appropriately” and constituted an internal committee before the matter was eventually reported to police. The complaint and FIR also contain allegations of threats to circulate private photographs and videos, administration of substances that allegedly caused drowsiness and memory loss, and a later alleged assault attempt involving Praveen. The student is also stated to have attempted suicide following the alleged abuse and trauma.

Shankar’s complaint to the NHRC alleged that the Principal, Chairman/management, mechanical engineering head of department and other college officials should also be examined for their alleged failure to act and suppression of the complaint. He sought their addition to the case, preservation of CCTV footage and internal committee records, and a detailed inquiry into the police investigation.

The complaint alleged that Shankar had submitted representations to the Bachupally police and the Cyberabad police commissioner on April 2, with copies to the University Grants Commission and All India Council for Technical Education. A legal notice was subsequently issued by the victim’s counsel on May 19 seeking action and preservation of electronic evidence.