3 accused sent to 10-day police custody, Mamata's shocking remarks | What we know so far on Durgapur rape

The West Bengal police have arrested three people in connection with the Durgapur rape case.

West Bengal Police on Sunday arrested three suspects in connection with the alleged gang-rape of a 23-year-old medical student outside her college campus in Durgapur on Friday night, after she had stepped out with a friend to get food. The 3 people accused in the case have been sent to 10-day police custody.

Durgapur rape case: Medical student’s condition stable, NCW team meets victim, investigation continues (Representative image/HT Photo)

The police said the second-year MBBS student is in stable condition and is being supported by her mother.

The incident, which West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee called shocking and, is said to have taken place on Friday evening.

Durgapur rape case: What we know so far

1. The MBBS student, who hails from Jaleshwar in Odisha, remains admitted to the hospital. A four-member team from the National Commission for Women (NCW) met the student at the hospital on Saturday, and also sought a detailed Action Taken Report (ATR) from West Bengal authorities within five days.
2. Gynaecologist and NCW member Archana Majumdar described the student’s condition: “She is in a state of shock. Her condition is stable. She has suffered some injuries. This is very unfortunate and alarming. I am shocked.”
3. Three people have been arrested in connection with the case. “We have arrested three persons in connection with the case. They are being questioned. This is a very sensitive case and we will give out further details later,” PTI news agency quoted a police officer on Saturday. Later, CM Mamata Banerjee also confirmed the arrests.
4. A subdivisional court remanded the three arrested people to 10-day police custody for their alleged involvement. The charges pressed against the accused persons include gangrape and criminal conspiracy.
5. The survivor's mother recounted the traumatic incident, saying her daughter had gone out for food at her friend’s request when three men began following them. “Her friend abandoned her and fled. "My daughter also started running but couldn’t trace her friend,” she added.
6. She further said that the three men dragged her daughter to a nearby forest area by taking advantage of her being alone. “Two more people joined them. One of them committed the crime and snatched her mobile. She was threatened that she would be killed if she dared to shout,” the survivor's mother said.
7. The student's father said, “We received a call from her classmates around 9.30 pm. Her classmates informed us that she was raped and that we should immediately come to Durgapur. We reached the campus on Saturday morning. She is not well and is admitted to the hospital. The miscreants demanded money to return her mobile.”
8. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday asked private colleges in the state not to allow women to step out in the late hours, asking how the survivor of the alleged Durgapur medical college gang rape case “was outside the campus at 12:30 am”, the time the incident is said to have taken place.
9. Students of the medical college who staged protests over the inaction of college authorities also sent a memorandum to the principal, saying, “Despite the incident occurring near the college premises, there was no immediate FIR filed, no prompt public statement issued, and no emergency safety response activated. This negligence and inaction from the authorities amounts to betrayal of student trust and moral failure of the institution.” The state health department has sought a report from the private medical college regarding the incident.
10. The case has also sparked a political dispute. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator Suvendu Adhikari spoke with the victim’s father and promised help. He said, “BJP workers led by legislators have gathered at the police station. There have been no arrests till Saturday afternoon. No one is safe in the state’s government or private medical colleges. Police are interested in extorting money and installing flags of the ruling TMC. Women are not safe. The culprits are not getting exemplary punishments. The chief minister speaks on everything but is now silent.”
11. Responding to the political allegations, State women and child development minister Shashi Panja said in a video message, “Such crimes against women shouldn’t be politicised. But unfortunately, the BJP sees such incidents through a political lens. The chief minister doesn’t compromise when there is some injustice against women. We have to wait for the investigation to be completed. BJP shouldn’t try to take political advantage out of this. Crime against women in BJP-ruled states is also very unfortunate and should never be politicised.”