Kolkata Rape Case: BJP Lashes Out At Mamata, Accused Arrested. What Has Happened So Far
Medical reports have confirmed evidence of gang rape, including bite marks and nail scratches. All three accused have been arrested and remanded in police custody for four days.
A 24-year-old law student was allegedly gang-raped by three men, including a former student and two seniors, inside the premises of a law college in south Kolkata, sparking widespread outrage and fierce attacks from opposition parties against the ruling Trinamool Congress.
Police said the crime took place on the evening of June 25 and all three accused have been arrested. A city court has remanded them in police custody for four days. The accused include an alumnus-turned-criminal lawyer and two senior students of the same college.
Medical reports have confirmed evidence of gang rape, including bite marks and nail scratches, a senior officer of the Kolkata Police confirmed on Friday.
Following the incident, the Left, BJP, Congress and AIDSO supporters clashed with the police outside the Kasba police station under whose jurisdiction the crime is said to have been committed.
Union minister and BJP's West Bengal unit president Sukanta Majumdar claimed that the incident shows that female students are "not safe" in educational institutes in Bengal. Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari demanded Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's resignation, saying "she has no right to stay put in her chair."
Here's what has happened so far:
- According to the complaint filed at Kasba police station, the survivor had visited the South Calcutta Law College that afternoon to fill up her examination forms. She was asked to stay back by the accused, who reportedly held significant influence on campus. The assault took place inside a security guard’s room, adjacent to the student union office.
- The survivor in her complaint said that the key accused had proposed marriage to her, which she declined, citing an existing relationship. Enraged over this, the man, along with two others, assaulted her and dragged her into the guard’s room around 7:30 PM. They watched and assisted the prime accused in the assault, which continued until 10:30 PM, police said.
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The survivor said the accused recorded the assault and threatened to release the video online if she spoke up. They also threatened to harm her and her boyfriend, and even warned of false legal cases against their families.
- Forensic teams have sealed the site and collected evidence. Mobile phones have been seized and sent for analysis to determine if any footage was shared.
- The medical test results have corroborated the victim's allegation that she was raped. “There is evidence of forceful penetration, bite marks and nail scratches on her body," an officer told PTI.
- The incident triggered political unrest, with BJP, Congress, the Left, and student groups staging demonstrations outside Kasba police station. They clashed with police forces on Friday afternoon, leading to multiple injuries and detentions.
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Clashes also broke out between the SFI-DIFY (Students' Federation of India) supporters and police on Friday afternoon as the force tried to disperse protesters from demonstrating before the Kasba police station. Police also detained several agitators and many of them were also injured in the scuffle.
- BJP and Congress have both called for statewide protests on Saturday, with the Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari threatening to take protests “to the farthest possible extent in the days to come”.
- Meanwhile, the National Commission for Women took suo motu cognizance of the incident, seeking a detailed report from Kolkata Police within three days.
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The college has confirmed that the primary accused, who is now a practising lawyer at Alipore court, was also recently employed as a contractual non-teaching staff member for 45 days.
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Several photos circulating on social media show the accused with prominent Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders, and his online profiles suggest he was once part of the TMCP's local leadership. However, TMCP president Trinankur Bhattacharya denied any formal link, claiming the student union has been non-functional for years.
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The TMC distanced itself from the accused and demanded “strictest punishment” if he is found guilty. West Bengal minister Shashi Panja said in a press conference that the state government stands firmly with the victim and her family.
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Chief Police Prosecutor Sourin Ghosal confirmed that all three will face gang rape charges, citing Supreme Court guidelines that hold all participants complicit, even if only one committed the act.
The crime has revived disturbing memories of a similar incident involving the rape and murder of an intern at RG Kar Medical College in August last year.
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