Coimbatore Rape Case | 2-Finger Test Not Done: IAF Chief on Officer's Allegation

The IAF authorities have been accused of subjecting an officer to the outlawed 'two-finger test'.

A still from an anti-rape protest. Image used for representation only.

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Speaking about the alleged rape case in Coimbatore, Indian Air Force (IAF) Chief Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari on Tuesday, 5 October, said that the IAF law is very strict on any such incident and that no two-finger test had been conducted.

The IAF authorities have been accused of subjecting an officer at the Coimbatore Air Force Administrative College to the outlawed 'two-finger test', that had previously been used to examine women in cases of sexual violence, news agency PTI reported on 30 September.

The officer has also accused the authorities of coercing her to withdraw the complaint filed against the flight lieutenant who had sexually assaulted her.

"IAF law is very strict on any such incident. The two-finger test conducted on a woman officer is misreported. No two-finger test was not done. We're well aware of the rules and all due action would be taken," Chaudhari said on Tuesday, according to news agency ANI.

Disciplinary action will be taken based on report of inquiry, the IAF chief said, according to news agency PTI.

What Had Happened

The incident of sexual violence had reportedly taken place on 10 September. Amitesh Harmukh, a batchmate of the officer, had allegedly assaulted the officer after entering her quarters in an inebriated state during the wee hours of the day.

The Air Force authorities and the college commandant, who had been apprised of the crime, had failed to take action till 20 September, after which the complaint was lodged with the police, PTI reported.

The woman was allegedly subjected to the unscientific 'two-finger test' to ascertain rape in the Air Force hospital, an examination that had been banned by the Supreme Court in 2013.

“Only later did I find out that the two-finger test is not supposed to be done for a rape exam. This action made me nauseous enough to relive the trauma of being raped,” the officer said in the FIR, Hindustan Times reported.

(With inputs from ANI, Hindustan Times and PTI.)