IAF officer rape complaint: NCW asks Air Chief Marshal to take action

The National Commission for Women wrote to Air Chief Marshal urging him to take necessary steps in connection with a woman IAF officer alleging of undergoing 'two-finger-test.' She was allegedly raped by her colleague on September 9.

New Delhi: Taking suo moto cognizance of a woman Indian Air Force officer undergoing a two-finger test in connection with rape allegation, the National Commission for Women has written to Air Chief Marshal urging him to take necessary steps after examining the matter.

In a stern remark, NCW also asked Air Chief Marshal to impart the necessary knowledge to the Indian Air Force doctors about the prevailing guidelines laid down by the government and the Indian Council of Medical Research in the year 2014 terming the two-finger test as unscientific.

"The National Commission for Women is utterly disappointed and strongly condemns the action of Indian Air Force doctors conducting the banned two-finger test on the victim, thereby violating the Supreme Court’s decision and also violating the right to privacy and dignity of the victim", the NCW statement read.

The two-finger test was banned by the Supreme Court in 2013. The victim in her complaint had stated that the test made her 'relive the trauma' after she raised the allegation of sexual assault by a 29-year-old colleague, a Flight Lieutenant who has been arrested by the police. According to the victim, Indian Air Force doctors had administered the two-finger-test, an illegal, unscientific examination to determine the crime and she was also questioned about her sexual history.

As per reports, the victim and the accused attended a party in the officers' mess on September 9. The complaint said that the incident occurred in the wee hours of the next day. The complainant said she was asleep after consuming medicine for ankle injury when she was assaulted by the inebriated accused. As she reported the incident to a wing commander, she was "advised" to not lodge a complaint. She was given two options by the authorities, either to file the complaint or give a written statement that the episode was consensual. She decided to file a complaint and said that she was subjected to a banned test in the Air Force Hospital, reports said.