Kolkata: The father of the second-year medical student from Odisha on Monday said that he will take his daughter back to Odisha once she records her statement before a judicial magistrate.
The 23-year-old, studying in a private medical college in Bengal’s Durgapur, was allegedly gang-raped on Friday evening, shortly after she stepped out for dinner with a classmate.
“My daughter is currently stable… We haven’t received any help from the Bengal government yet. We don’t want money or any other kind of help; we just want justice…We will 100% take her back since there is no guarantee of any safety here,” he told IANS.
Reacting to Mamata Banerjee’s ‘girls should not go out at night’ & ‘midnight outing’ remarks, he said that the Bengal CM should understand his pain. “The CM and the West bengal police are lying. I urge the Bengal government to ensure strictest punishment for the culprits. Girls in the state will then feel safer…,” he said.
He further stated that he has not received any call from the Bengal government. “…I have not got any phone call from anyone (in West Bengal Govt). I did get a phone call from the Odisha State Commission for Women and they consoled me,” he said.
He, however, mentioned having received a call from the office of Governor C V Ananda Bose, who he left Howrah station for Durgapur in a car.
A three-member team of the commission led by chairperson Sovana Mohanty, has travelled to Durgapur to enquire about the health condition of the student. They will also speak to the family members and will hold discussions with the local police administration and the West Bengal Director General of Police, Rajeev Kumar, to ascertain whether the investigation is being conducted properly.
Notably, the young woman’s father had earlier appealed to the Odisha government to shift his daughter to Bhubaneshwar, citing a threat to her life. “I appeal to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi to help shift my daughter to Bhubaneswar. I fear that her life may be in danger,” he had told the media.
Interaction with LoP
In an interaction with the West Bengal Leader of the Opposition (LoP), Suvendu Adhikari, he reiterated his plans to take her to Odisha once she records her statement before a judicial magistrate under section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC). When the Nandigram MLA suggested shifting her to AIIMS-Bhubaneswar, he said he would take her to Balasore and get her treated there.
She is currently undergoing treatment at IQ Medical College.
Adhikari told him that he was denied permission to meet the doctors to enquire about her health condition. He added that he would speak to the Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and other BJP leaders and Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to ensure that all necessary arrangements are made in Odisha.
According to reports, a delegation from the Odisha government, comprising a woman member, a police officer, and a district official, were also allegedly not allowed to enter the hospital to meet the survivor.
The LoP also shared a video of their conversation on social media during which he also spoke to the mother of the young woman and asked them to leave Bengal immediately after she recovers. “We will not rest until those responsible are held accountable and justice is served. I urge everyone to come together, raise their voices, and support this fight for justice and demand accountability from the Mamata Banerjee Govt who are busy deflecting blame on the victim herself,” he wrote, while mentioning BJP’s indefinite sit-in protest at City Centre at Durgapur to demand justice for the second-year medical student.
Meanwhile, police have arrested all five accused in the case which took place between 8 pm and 8.45 pm on Friday. “Two more arrests have been made. With these, all five accused have been taken into custody on the basis of the complaint filed by the survivor,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) of the Asansol-Durgapur Police Commissionerate, Abhisekh Gupta, told PTI.
The initial medical report of the student has also confirmed the allegation of rape. It mentioned massive bleeding due to the wounds on her private parts, the IANS reported, quoting a source.
