Durgapur rape case: Victim's college-mate 6th man to be held as police reconstruct crime scene

The West Bengal Police on Tuesday arrested the college-mate of the rape victim, a medical student in Durgapur, taking the total number of arrests in the case to six. Investigators claimed that the sexual assault was committed by one of the accused, while the role of others in the crime remains under investigation. Earlier in the day, all six suspects were taken to the crime scene -- a secluded forested area near the private medical college where the survivor studies -- to reconstruct the sequence of events as part of the probe. According to police sources, the arrested student, a resident of Malda district, was the victim's college-mate and came under suspicion after repeated questioning revealed "glaring inconsistencies" in his responses. The survivor, a second-year MBBS student from Jaleswar in Odisha, was allegedly raped outside her college campus on October 10.

Addressing the media, Sunil Choudhury, Commissioner of Police, Asansol-Durgapur Police Commissionerate, said, "The role of the victim’s friend has remained under our scanner and he is not outside the domain of suspicion. We are thoroughly questioning him."

Crime scene reconstructed

The police said that forensic experts had collected samples and dusted the crime scene. "We have already recovered the victim’s mobile, which was snatched from her, from the possession of one of the accused," Choudhury said. He added that the apparel worn by all six accused had been seized for examination. "According to the technical evidence available with us and the statement of the victim, the rape was committed by one person. We are probing the exact nature of involvement and the role played by others in this heinous crime," he said. Investigators are awaiting forensic and medico-legal examination reports, with several technical analyses still pending. Two of the accused were also taken to their homes to search for concealed evidence. The mobile phones of all suspects have been sent for digital analysis, and police are questioning fellow students of the survivor as part of the ongoing investigation.

Political reactions and hospital security concerns

In a sharp political reaction, Odisha BJP MP Pratap Chandra Sarangi, who met the survivor in hospital, slammed Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for her remarks about female students venturing out late at night. Sarangi alleged that such comments were made "to protect the criminals." He was earlier briefly stopped by hospital security before being allowed to meet the victim with a delegation from Balasore.

Meanwhile, the Calcutta High Court has directed police to restrict unauthorised entry into the Durgapur private medical college and hospital where the victim is receiving treatment. The court instructed the Durgapur Police Commissionerate to ensure adequate security and maintain peace in the area following protests by opposition parties. In another order, the court permitted the BJP to hold a protest demonstration in front of the Asansol Durgapur Development Authority office between 6 am and 6 pm daily till October 19.

Civil society protests in Kolkata

In Kolkata's Jadavpur area, over 100 members of civil society, under the banner of 'Abhaya Manch', gathered on Tuesday evening as part of the 'Reclaim the Night Again' movement to protest the Durgapur incident. The collective was formed after the RG Kar Hospital rape and murder case earlier this year. Eminent academic Pabitra Sarkar and several civil rights activists joined the protest, criticising the Chief Minister’s remarks. The demonstrators, mostly women, called for safer campuses and accountability in cases of sexual violence.

(With inputs from PTI)

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