Engineering student attempts suicide as molester roams free

A 19-year-old engineering student attempted suicide today by drinking a mosquito repellent in her room here, police said.
The girl was apparently upset with her college authorities as well as the local police for not acting against a male student (19) who had allegedly molested her. However, the police and the college have denied this.
According to police, the girl, who is pursuing B. Arch at P. R. Pote College of Engineering, consumed phenyl and some mosquito repellent while she was alone this morning.
She was spotted lying unconscious by her friend who in turn called up the police and was subsequently rushed to the district hospital, a police official said, adding that the girl is stable now.

The girl had lodged a complaint with Nandgaonpeth police station on January 26, 2018 stating that she was molested twice by Mehul Thakare during their college picnic in Chennai last month.
Following her complaint, police had booked Thakare and two of his friends, also students of the same college, under sections 354-D (Stalking) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the IPC.

However, none of them was arrested by police so far.
The student stated that she was touched inappropriately on December 28 on the train headed towards Chennai and again in a hotel where the group of students and lecturers accompanying them was staying in the Tamil Nadu capital, according to the official.

Thakre had allegedly dragged the complainant inside his room at the hotel and beat her up and when she managed to come out, two of his friends---Shubham Burade and Piyush Bhannare--teased her, the official said quoting the complaint.
"The girl stated that the college authorities only took written apologies from the three students, but did not initiate any action against them," the official said.
The college is run by district guardian minister Pravin Pote.
College principal S D Wakade said the college had cancelled the admissions of the three students.
The minister was unavailable for comment.