Bhubaneswar/Kolkata: The 23-year-old medical student from Odisha was crying and trembling when National Commission of Women (NCW) member Archana Majumdar met her at the private hospital, where she is undergoing treatment after the alleged gang rape in Durgapur on Friday (October 10) night outside the campus.
“We visited her the day after the incident. She required some stitches and her bleeding had stopped. She was very weak, and continued receiving medicine and treatment. Psychologically and emotionally, she was distressed and trembling with fear. The young woman from a middle-class family had come all the way from Odisha to Bengal with a dream to become a doctor… she was unable to process the sudden happenings,” she told ANI.
She stressed the need for her to undergo psychotherapy and proper counselling to get over the fear. “Her mother wanted to immediately take her back home, but convinced her to stay back till the medico-legal process was completed. She is very weak and cannot even appear for exams scheduled for Oct 15-16,” she said.
Majumdar further stated that they recorded her statement and held discussions with the police authorities and the doctors attending to her. “Following which the NCW chairperson sent the findings and recommendations to the government and CM Mamata Banerjee,” she said.
She said they did not want a repeat of RG Kar case and hence, met the survivor the very next day and collected all video and photographic evidence.
While questioning the arrest of the sixth suspect in the case, she elaborated on what exactly happened on the fateful night. “The girl and her friend were chased into the jungle area by three miscreants during which the latter hid somewhere in the dark. One among them raped her and 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.
Majumdar insisted that there was no sixth person in the jungle when the incident took place, citing the survivor’s statement. “The police must provide protection to the young woman, especially since newspapers are carrying stories alleging that all suspects are somehow connected to the ruling party,” she stressed.
On Tuesday, police arrested the male classmate, who had accompanied the second-year medical student for dinner after the 23-year-old survivor’s deposition before a magistrate in which she reportedly stated that the classmate had also “tried to force himself on her”.
The NWC member further alleged that the crime scene was not immediately cordoned off. “They did so only after the media reached there. Do police realise its importance? It’s unclear if this was intentional or careless, but it certainly happened… If the police are under political pressure or influence then the commission will not forgive this,” she added.
The NCW, in its fact-finding report, had flagged “security lapses” and “gross negligence” on the part of West Bengal Police during the probe. “It was further observed that the police had not cordoned off the crime scene even by October 12, creating a high possibility of evidence tampering. No proper forensic examination at the place of occurrence (POC) was conducted. These serious procedural lapses indicate gross negligence on the part of the local investigating authorities.”
As part of its observations, the NCW said the road leading from the hospital passes through a densely wooded area that remains completely dark at night. “There is a total absence of street lighting and surveillance, making it unsafe for pedestrians, particularly women. This represents a grave administrative failure on the part of the state government, municipal authorities, and law enforcement agencies. It is alarming that such a major medical institution, employing and training over a thousand female students and healthcare professionals, lacks even basic security infrastructure,” it said.
According to NCW, no evidence of regular police patrolling was found, despite the area being commonly known for “anti-social and criminal activities”. “The state government had previously announced the “Raatri’r Saathi” project following the RG Kar rape and murder incident to ensure the safety of women travelling at night; however, the initiative appeared to be non-functional in this region,” it added.
Statement of Police
Police commissioner of the Asansol-Durgapur Police Commissionerate Sunil Kumar Chowdhury confirmed involvement of one person in the sexual assault case, citing the statement given by the survivor and physical evidence. “We have found traces of the five accused at the scene of the incident. However, we are still determining the specific role of each person in this case. Based on technical evidence and the victim’s statement, one person is confirmed to be involved in the sexual assault. Clothes of one accused have been collected and sent to a forensic laboratory.”
On Tuesday afternoon, West Bengal Police took the five arrested accused – Sheikh Safiqul, Sheikh Nasiruddin, Apu Bauri (21), Firdous Sheikh (23), and Sheikh Riazuddin (32)- and the male friend to the jungle adjacent to Paranaganj Kali Bari cremation ground for reconstruction of the crime as a part of their ongoing probe. Two among them – Sheikh Riazuddin and Sheikh Nasiruddin – were also taken to native place, Bijra village, for on-ground verification.
All five, who are residents of local villages, have been charged under sections 70(1) (gang rape) and 3(5) (crime committed with common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). One among them is a former security guard at the college, another works at a hospital, one is employed on a temporary basis with the local civic body, and another is unemployed, according to reports.