The home ministry received a report regarding the alleged rape on October 16. (Representational)

Port Blair:

Senior bureaucrat Jitendra Narain, who has been accused of rape by a woman in the Andamans and Nicobar Islands, has been suspended by the centre. The 21-year-old woman alleged she was gang-raped by Narain, who was the then Chief Secretary of the islands, and another bureaucrat, RL Rishi.

“The [Home] Ministry received a report on October 16 from Andaman and Nicobar Police regarding the alleged sexual assault of a lady by Jitendra Narain, IAS (AGMUT: 1990), the then Chief Secretary, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and others,” the government said in a statement today.

AGMUT refers to the Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram and Union Territory cadre of the centre’s civil services.

“As the report indicated the possibility of grave misconduct and misuse of official position on the part of Jitendra Narain, the Home Minister directed to take immediate strict action against the officer concerned as per law. Accordingly, Jitendra Narain has been placed under suspension with immediate effect and disciplinary proceedings have been ordered against him,” the government said.

The Home Ministry said the centre is committed to ensuring zero tolerance towards acts of indiscipline by its officials irrespective of their rank and status, “especially with regard to incidents involving the dignity of women”.

The police case was filed earlier this month. The woman alleged she was gang-raped twice, in April and May this year.

She has asked the police to preserve the CCTV footage, which could be used as evidence, of the property where the former Chief Secretary had been staying.

The woman said she had been looking for a job and someone introduced her to RL Rishi through a hotel owner, who allegedly took her to Jitendra Narain’s home.

At the former Chief Secretary’s home, the woman alleged she was offered liquor, which she refused. She alleged the men assured her of a government job and then gang-raped.