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The investigation into the alleged rape of a 23-year-old medical student in Durgapur took a dramatic turn on Tuesday after the Bengal police arrested her male classmate, the sixth person to be held in the case, and claimed that the assault appeared to have been carried out by a single accused, HT reported earlier.
The classmate, a resident of Malda district, was detained on October 11 and arrested on Tuesday after investigators found “glaring inconsistencies” in his statements.
His arrest came hours after Asansol-Durgapur Police commissioner Sunil Kumar Choudhary ruled out gangrape, saying, “Investigation and medical reports have so far indicated the involvement of only one person. The roles of the others are being reviewed. The friend of the victim is not above suspicion.”
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Twist in investigation: Only one accused found involved
Addressing a press conference earlier in the day, Sunil Kumar Choudhary said, “That one person is among the suspects. The victim’s friend was taken to the place of occurrence along with the five others. The clothes he was wearing (during the incident) were seized and sent for forensic test along with the clothes of the other suspects.”
He added that the “statement of the victim was recorded by a magistrate on Tuesday afternoon”.
Also Read | CCTV footage shows Durgapur survivor, friend walking back to campus together
The woman, a resident of Jaleshwar in Odisha, is admitted at the private IQ City Medical College Hospital where she is a student. Her medical tests were done at the same hospital.
CCTV camera footage raises questions
Security camera footage from the private medical college showed the survivor and her male friend leaving the campus at 7.54pm on October 10. The footage revealed the friend returning alone around 8.42pm, loitering for a few minutes, leaving again at 8.48pm, and coming back with the survivor at 9.29pm.
Despite the apparent gap, the friend “did not report the incident to anyone”, police said.
The survivor later alleged that the accused called her friend from her phone after she was raped and demanded ₹3,000 to return the mobile device. The phone was recovered from one of the suspects.
Father names classmate as suspect
The survivor’s father, who lodged a police complaint on October 11, also named her classmate as a suspect. “I am sure that her friend definitely has some kind of involvement in the crime. He accompanied my daughter out of the college. I think this could be pre-planned, or else this could not have happened,” he alleged.
Police said the arrested student will be produced before the Durgapur court on Wednesday.
Timeline of arrests and discrepancies
Five local villagers, Sheikh Safiqul (30), Sheikh Nasiruddin (23), Apu Bauri (21), Firdous Sheikh (23), and Sheikh Riazuddin (31), were earlier arrested based on phone call records and circumstantial evidence. All are daily wage labourers from nearby villages.
Two of them were remanded in police custody for nine days, while the remaining three were sent to custody for 10 days.
However, investigators later found “several discrepancies” between the survivor’s statements, medical reports, and testimonies of the accused.
“In her initial statement to the doctor, the survivor mentioned three persons and alleged that only one committed the crime, but later told the police that five persons dragged her to the forest and gangraped her,” an officer told HT, adding that “evidence did not point to gangrape”.
Political outrage and Odisha’s involvement
The case has sparked a political storm between West Bengal and Odisha, where the survivor hails from.
Odisha chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi spoke to the survivor’s father and promised full legal and administrative support. “The culprits must face the severest punishment,” Majhi said.
Odisha State Commission for Women (OSCW) chairperson Sovana Mohanty announced that a team would visit Durgapur to assess the survivor’s safety. Calling the incident “barbaric, condemnable, and painful,” Mohanty alleged, “The girl and her male friend had gone out to have puchka in the evening when three miscreants accosted them, demanded money, and later took turns to rape her after the boy fled.”
She further accused the Bengal government of allowing a “complete collapse of law and order” and claimed that “persons belonging to the minority community” were involved, remarks that drew sharp criticism from Trinamool Congress leaders for “communalising” the issue.
Mamata Banerjee’s remarks draw criticism
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee faced backlash for questioning why the student had gone out late at night. “She was studying in a private medical college. Whose responsibility is it? How did she come out at 12.30 at night?” she asked, suggesting hostel students “should avoid venturing out late at night”.
Reacting sharply, Odisha BJP MP Pratap Chandra Sarangi, who met the survivor at the hospital, said, “Today, I checked with the authorities, and they told me that the victim had gone out within the permissible time. Then how could the Bengal CM claim she was out at 12:30 at night? This is only to protect the criminals.”
Court intervenes, restricts access to hospital
Following petitions from hospital authorities, the Calcutta High Court on Tuesday barred the entry of outsiders, including political leaders, into the Durgapur Medical College and Hospital, citing disruptions to classes and patient care. “No outsider, other than the investigating officers, can enter the premises without the hospital’s permission,” a lawyer present at the hearing said.
The court also ordered police to set up pickets outside the hospital and ensure security in the area.
Protests and investigation
BJP leaders from Odisha and West Bengal have continued protests in Durgapur, demanding justice for the survivor.
Meanwhile, forensic and medico-legal reports are awaited. “According to the technical evidence available with us and the statement of the victim, the rape was committed by one person. We are probing the exact nature of involvement and the role played by others in this heinous crime,” said Commissioner Choudhary.
The survivor remains under treatment at the IQ City Medical College Hospital in Durgapur, while her family has sought permission to take her back to Odisha, citing safety concerns. “I have lost trust. I fear for her life here,” her father said.
