The investigation into the alleged rape of a 23-year-old medical student in Durgapur took a dramatic turn on Tuesday after Bengal Police arrested her male classmate – the sixth person held in the case – and claimed that the assault appeared to have been carried out by a single accused.
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, stating, “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.”
Twist in Investigation
Addressing a press conference earlier in the day, 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.”
The woman, a resident of Jaleshwar in Odisha, is admitted to the private IQ City Medical College Hospital, where she is a student. Her medical tests were conducted at the same facility.
CCTV Footage Raises Questions
Security camera footage from the medical college showed the survivor and her male friend leaving the campus at 7.54 pm on October 10. The footage later revealed the friend returning alone around 8.42 pm, loitering for a few minutes, leaving again at 8.48 pm, and returning with the survivor at 9.29 pm.
Despite the gap, the friend “did not report the incident to anyone,” police said.
The survivor later alleged that the accused had called her friend from her phone after the assault and demanded Rs 3,000 to return the 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 said.
Police confirmed that 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 previously arrested based on 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 other three were sent to custody for ten days.
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 said, adding that “evidence did not point to gangrape.”
Political Outrage And Odisha’s Involvement
The case has triggered political tensions between West Bengal and Odisha, where the survivor hails from.
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi spoke to the survivor’s father and assured legal and administrative assistance. “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,” she alleged that the survivor and her male friend had gone out for snacks when “three miscreants accosted them, demanded money, and later took turns to rape her after the boy fled.”
Mohanty 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 Flak
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee faced criticism 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, advising hostel students “to avoid venturing out late at night.”
Responding sharply, Odisha BJP MP Pratap Chandra Sarangi, who visited the survivor in 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 Bars Political Visits To Hospital
Following petitions from hospital authorities, the Calcutta High Court on Tuesday restricted the entry of outsiders, including political leaders, into 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 directed police to set up pickets outside the hospital and ensure security in the area.
Protests Continue As Probe Progresses
BJP leaders from Odisha and West Bengal have continued to protest in Durgapur, demanding justice for the survivor.
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 IQ City Medical College Hospital, 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.
