Two serving bureaucrats, one of whom is a 1990 batch IAS officer and former Chief Secretary of Andaman and Nicobar (AN) Islands, have been accused of sexual assault and gangrape by a 21-year-old woman in Port Blair.

The woman filed a complaint on August 22 with the Director General of Police, AN Islands, and a case was registered at the Aberdeen police station in Port Blair on October 1. The police have set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate her allegations.

The SIT, led by a Senior Superintendent of Police, has provided police protection to the woman.

The two officers accused of rape in the FIR are Jitendra Narain, the former Chief Secretary of AN Islands, and R L Rishi, the Labour Commissioner in AN Islands.

Narain, currently the Chairman and Managing Director of the Financial Corporation, has denied the allegations, stating that they are “absurd” and has sent a detailed representation to the Prime Minister’s Office and the Union Home Secretary.

Rishi was unavailable for comment, and his office stated that he was on medical leave. The Indian Express has confirmed that the car mentioned by the woman, in which she was taken to Narain’s house, is registered in Rishi’s name.

In the FIR, the complainant has requested the collection of CCTV footage from Narain’s house and the questioning of his staff.

The woman’s complaint provides a detailed account of the violent sexual attacks on her on two occasions at night in April and May at Narain’s official residence in Port Blair.

In her complaint, the woman stated that she was introduced to the Labour Commissioner through a hotel owner in search of a job, and was taken to the residence of the Chief Secretary, where she was assaulted.

The SIT team has established a new office and will conduct the probe in a fair and time-bound manner. A Section 164 CrPC (confessional statement) of the woman has been recorded by the SIT and the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate in Port Blair.

The scope of the probe has been expanded to include the alleged role of a local news channel reporter, who is accused of broadcasting hints about the woman’s identity, as well as a police inspector who allegedly leaked information about the case.

Narain has claimed that the accusations were made by local officers against whom he had taken action as Chief Secretary, and he is willing to cooperate with the police and face trial.