Former Chief Secretary of Andaman and Nicobar Islands Jitendra Narain was arrested in a gang rape case on Thursday, 10 November.
The A&N Police and a Special Investigation Team (SIT) had last month found evidence of an alleged "sex-for-jobs" racket when Narain was posted as chief secretary of the Union territory.
The IAS officer's arrest came after a local court rejected his anticipatory bail plea earlier on Thursday. Soon after the verdict, a team of police personnel reached a private resort where Narain was staying and took him to the police station amid heavy security, as per a report by news agency PTI.
A special investigation team (SIT) had previously questioned Narain thrice in connection with the case.
What Is the Case?
Over 20 women were allegedly taken to IAS officer Narain's residence in Port Blair during his tenure between 2021 and 22, some of whom are said to have gotten jobs after being sexually assaulted.
A 21-year-old complainant has alleged that when she approached RL Rishi, the then labour commissioner, for a job – he took her to Narain’s residence, as per a report in The Indian Express. Here, the survivor was allegedly sexually assaulted by the two men.
The Ministry of Home Affairs had suspended Narain on 17 October, based on a report indicating the possibility of "grave misconduct and misuse of official position."
Meanwile, Narain had denied the allegations, and had reportedly written to the Home Ministry and the A&N administration that a conspiracy was afoot against him and that he had "specific materials which demonstrate the fake nature of the case."
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)