The National Commission for Women (NCW) on Thursday took cognisance of the matter where a female Indian Air Force (IAF) officer was subjected to a Two-Finger test by doctors at IAF academy at Coimbatore after she alleged sexual assault against a colleague and said it violated the Supreme Court’s decision and also the right to privacy and dignity of the victim.
The Commission said its chairperson Rekha Sharma has written to Air Chief Marshal, Indian Air Force to look into the matter and take necessary steps and to impart necessary knowledge to the IAF doctors about the prevailing guidelines laid down by the government and the Indian Council of Medical Research in the year 2014 terming the two-finger test as unscientific.
“The National Commission for Women has come across a media post wherein it has been reported that a female Air Force officer was subjected to the banned and intrusive two-finger test by the Indian Air Force doctors who made the victim “relive the trauma” after she had alleged sexual assault against a 29-year old colleague, a Flight Lieutenant who has been arrested by the Police,” said NCW in a statement on Thursday.
The National Commission for Women further added that it is utterly disappointed and strongly condemns the action of Indian Air Force doctors for conducting the banned two-finger test on the victim, thereby violating the Supreme Court’s decision and also the right to privacy and dignity of the victim.
The IAF woman officer in her complaint before the All Woman police had said that the attitude of some of the officers of the IAF who were made aware of the incident, was to force her to withdraw the complaint.