Bhubaneswar: The Durgapur SDJM Court on Sunday remanded four accused in the alleged gang rape of an Odia medical student in West Bengal’s Paschim Bardhaman district to 10 days of police custody.
The accused were produced before the court earlier in the day. The judge allowed police custody for further interrogation and investigation into the case.
According to police, the accused had allegedly snatched the victim’s mobile phone and Rs 5,000 from her bag while assaulting her. The mobile phone has been recovered and investigators claimed to have gathered direct evidence linking the four arrested men to the crime.
A forensic team has visited the crime spot and collected evidence from the area.
The arrested persons have been identified as Apu Bauri, Firdos Seikh, Seikh Reajuddin, and Rezaul Seikh.
Police said the incident took place on Friday night when the second-year medical student from Odisha had gone out for dinner with her male friend outside the Durgapur campus. A group of youths on motorcycles allegedly accosted them, passed objectionable remarks, and later chased away her friend before dragging the student into a forested area behind the campus and gang-raping her. The accused also snatched her mobile phone and threw it away.
The male friend returned with other students and found the injured victim lying on the ground. She was rushed to a nearby hospital and is currently undergoing treatment. A complaint was lodged at the Durgapur New Township Police Station against five persons.
Meanwhile, the victim’s father appealed to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to allow him to take his daughter back to Odisha.
“My daughter is in pain. She cannot walk right now. She is bedridden. I am concerned about her safety here. They could kill her here any moment. That is why we want to take her back to Odisha. We do not want her to stay in Bengal. She will pursue her education in Odisha,” he told media persons.
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi spoke to the victim’s father, a resident of Jaleswar in Balasore district, and expressed deep grief over the incident. The CM assured the family of all possible support.
Reacting to the incident, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday said girls should not be allowed to go out at night. However, she asserted that her government follows a zero-tolerance policy against crimes targeting women and directed police to take strict action against the accused.
