TMC MP says women should be cautious as cops can’t be everywhere
KOLKATA/DURGAPUR, Oct 13: Two more persons were arrested on Monday in connection with the alleged gang rape of a 23-year-old medical student in West Bengal’s Durgapur, taking the total number of arrests in the case to five, police said.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) of the Asansol-Durgapur Police Commissionerate, Abhisekh Gupta, told PTI, “Two more arrests have been made.”
“With these, all five accused have been taken into custody on the basis of the complaint filed by the survivor.”
The second-year student of a private medical college in Durgapur, hailing from Jaleswar in Odisha’s Balasore district, was allegedly gang-raped on Friday night when she went outside the college campus with a male friend to have dinner.
According to police sources, the student had initially submitted a brief written statement of three to four lines to the college authorities, stating that she and her friend were walking outside the campus when they were suddenly surrounded by a group of men who then assaulted her.
The statement was later forwarded to the police, following which an FIR was lodged and an investigation initiated.
Based on the student’s complaint, the police determined that the incident occurred between 8 pm and 8.45 pm on Friday.
Investigators said that three men initially surrounded the student and snatched away her phone when she tried to call her friends for help.
Two more persons later joined them, and together the five men allegedly raped her.
The accused also offered her Rs 5,000 to leave quietly, police sources said.
The survivor’s male friend, who was accompanying her, is currently under police detention for questioning.
TMC MP’s COMMENTS
Senior TMC MP Saugata Roy, commenting on the Durgapur gang rape case, on Monday said that women should exercise caution, as the police cannot be everywhere at once.
His remark came a day after West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee faced flak for advising female students not to venture out late at night.
Speaking to reporters in Kolkata, the veteran parliamentarian claimed that women’s safety in the state is better compared to other regions.
“Such cases are rare in Bengal. Women’s safety in Bengal is better than in any other place.”
He added, “but women shouldn’t leave their colleges so late at night, as the police can’t patrol everywhere.”
“Police cannot be present on every road; police can take action after an incident occurs. So, women should also be cautious,” Roy said.
“Whatever the chief minister has said is absolutely correct,” he said. (PTI)
