In a case that has shaken West Bengal’s Durgapur, police have identified Firdous Sheikh as the main accused in the gang rape of a second-year medical student, while five others — including the survivor’s boyfriend and classmate — have been named as co-accused. The assault took place on October 10 in a forested area near a private medical college and hospital in West Burdwan district. The survivor, a student from Odisha, was allegedly lured and sexually assaulted by the group.
The case took a crucial turn on Monday, when the Test Identification (TI) parade report was read out in the Durgapur Sub-Divisional Court, confirming that Sheikh had raped the victim. According to Partha Ghosh, the survivor’s lawyer, the TI parade also implicated the other five accused in varying degrees of involvement. He described the survivor’s classmate — also her boyfriend — as the “main conspirator or mastermind” behind the attack, as per a report on PTI.
Since the classmate had already been identified by the survivor, he was not included in the TI parade. However, Ghosh confirmed that his name will be added to the charge sheet once it is filed and the trial begins. The court granted permission to open and read the TI parade report during the hearing, marking a key development in the investigation.
After their five-day judicial custody, all six accused were virtually produced before the court from the correctional facility. None had legal representation and personally sought bail, which was denied due to the seriousness of the crime. The court extended their judicial custody until October 31 and directed police to expedite the filing of the charge sheet to ensure a swift trial.
The survivor, who was initially reluctant to approach police out of fear, later confided in her roommates. A formal complaint was then lodged by her employer, leading to the arrests of the accused.
