Kolkata/Bhubaneswar: The West Bengal police will seek court approval to conduct a Test Identification (TI) parade to allow the second-year medical student from Odisha, who was allegedly gangraped on October 10 at Durgapur in Paschim Bardhaman district, to identify the arrested suspects as the perpetrators of the crime.
Six individuals, including the survivors’s male friend who accompanied her off-campus for dinner that night, have been arrested. The classmate, Wasif Ali, is the prime accused in this case.
Suvendu Adhikari, the Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, and Odisha BJP MP Pratap Chandra Sarangi have called for the TI parade while expressing doubts about whether those arrested by the police were the actual culprits or “scapegoats”.
Additionally, the police are also considering a medico-legal examination of the survivor’s friend and a gait pattern analysis to match suspects’ movements with evidence like footprints or CCTV footage.
Meanwhile, the police continued questioning those arrested in connection with the incident. The friend was questioned about why he had left the survivor alone and failed to alert anyone after returning to the campus from the crime scene. “His replies are still incoherent. We are tallying them with the survivor’s statement,” the PTI reported, quoting a police officer.
It is being alleged the friend ‘lured’ the survivor into the forest, and then left her there alone for 45 minutes.
The cops have also ruled out gang-rape and said one person sexually assaulted the student.
National Commission of Women (NCW) member Archana Majumdar had also told ANI that one among the three miscreants, who chased them into the jungle area, had raped her. “…the other two molested her. Later, two more miscreants came and demanded Rs 3000. They took away Rs 200 and snatched her phone away. By then, her friend came back to her rescue. The survivor said that she can identify all of them,” she said.
Survivor’s Father Describes Mamata As “Mother-Like Figure”
Days after criticising Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for her “women should not venture out at night” remarks, father of the survivor described her as a “mother-like figure” on Wednesday and sought her forgiveness for any harsh words spoken earlier.
“Mamata Banerjee is like a mother-like figure to me. If I have said anything wrong, I ask her to forgive me. I will render countless obeisance at her feet. But I ask her to help my daughter get justice,” he told reporters.
He added that the only thing that mattered to him was his daughter’s life. “I will leave Bengal as soon as possible and request that necessary action be taken against the culprits. We came here with a dream, but it has been shattered. We will not return to Bengal. I do not want any girl from Bengal to suffer the same pain my daughter endured…,” he told reporters.
He also reiterated his demand for a CBI probe, stating it would be beneficial but would depend on the state administration.
Following Mamata’s remarks, which sparked a massive row, the father of the 23-year-old student earlier said: “My daughter was sexually assaulted between 8 pm and 9 pm. Yet the CM falsely claimed the incident happened past midnight. She is also a woman. How can she say such an irresponsible thing?”
Stating that they no longer felt safe in Bengal, he added: “It seems Bengal is under the rule of Aurangzeb. I want to take my daughter back to Odisha. Her life comes first, career later.”
The Bengal CM later accused the media of distorting her words. “The media distorted my words. You ask me a question, I answer it, and then you distort it. Do not try this kind of politics,” she said.
Bengal Governor Sends Report to President, Home Ministry
West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose on Wednesday submitted a report on the gang rape incident to President Droupadi Murmu and the Union Home Ministry, giving a detailed account of his findings along with his interactions with the survivor and her parents.
Talking to the media earlier in the day, the governor said that the feelings of the survivor’s parents about taking their daughter back to Odisha should be respected. “We have to understand their feelings. Whatever steps are required to help them in this hour of crisis and in future should be taken,” he said.
Referring to his meeting with the Balasore MP, the Bengal Governor further stated that he received some suggestions from them. “Today I had a representation from the MP of Balasore. They also gave some suggestions. I do not want to divulge them because they should be kept confidential,” Mr. Bose said, adding that he has also received a report from the National Women’s Commission.
