Crime

"I have not come here for fault-finding, rather my visit is a fact-finding mission today," said the Bengal Governor CV Anand Bose while visiting the private medical college where it's 'gang-raped' second year student was still kept under medical supervision. Bose added: "I have seen police have taken actions, but the victim's family wants more. I stand for giving justice. I wish every girl in Bengal should have a secured life, unfortunately, that's not guaranteed as yet."

 

After a few hours of departure of Subhendu Adhikari  - state's Leader of Opposition, the Bengal Governor C V Anand Bose entered the troubled scene of the private medical college here this evening where the alleged gang rape victim still has been kept under medical supervision.

 

Bose, after a meeting with the hospital's physicians and the medical college's administrative officials for nearly an hour, said: "Bengal had witnessed a renaissance, now the time has come that the state wants to see yet another renaissance." He arrived after almost 65 hours of the alleged gang rape incident, when the police already arrested five persons in connection with the charges brought by the victim girl's father. 

 

The hospital authority, just ahead of Guv's visit, claimed in an official report: "The current condition of the student is stable." Dr Sudarshana Gangulee, Director of the IQ City Medical College stated: "Her vital signs are normal, and she's steadily on the path of recovery." She added: "A team of experienced mental health professionals evaluated her condition and ruled out any physical or mental imbalance." 

 

The physicians found blood injuries in the victim's private organs, the sources said.

 

Guv Bose meanwhile stated: "I wish to see the entire Bengal girls will have a safe and secured life." He added: "In earlier such incidents, some girls faced odd circumstances. We need to combat these strongly."

 

State's Leader of Opposition meanwhile demanded death penalty for the entire five 'gang - rape' accused this morning at a 'dharna Manch' where he, accompanied by the district BJP leaders stayed for an hour. 

 

LoP Subhendu Adhikari lambasted Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on the state's 'falling law and order' issue, besides he held her responsible for her 'casual approach' to the 'dreaded gang rape' incident. He said: "Being a woman, she needed to come here, instead of touring to Hasimara yesterday. It's unfortunate that I had to take the responsibility."

 

Adhikari didn't visit the victim girl’s hospital cabin on the plea that the physicians of the hospital denied to talk to 'any outsider' as yet. He talked to the victim's mother on a video call from the cellphone of Parijat Ganguly - a youth Morcha leader. The girl's parents, incidentally had denied to stay at the guesthouse of their daughter's college and are staying at Parijat's house since the day they arrived from Jaleshwar.

 

Adhikari further said: "No woman, either from Bengal within, or from other states are safe in today's Bengal. I feel ashamed and we demand that the culprit rapists should be ordered capital punishment and the police has to substantiate charges." 

 

Two fresh arrests in connection with the alleged gang rape of the second year medical college student hailing from Jaleshwar, Odhisa, were made today. They were identified as Safikul Sheikh and Nasiruddin Sheikh meanwhile were made and were forwarded to the Court today. Yesterday, three youths - Firdos Sheikh, Dipu Bauri and Riazuddin Sheikh were remanded for 10 days by the ACJM Court here. Safikul was arrested from his hideout at Bonogram village and Nasiruddin from his residence at Bijra - a locality barely 2 km from the medical college. Nasiruddin - son of a local Trinamul Congress leader is a contractual labourer of the power supply department of the Durgapur Municipal Corporation.

 

All the five have been slapped charges of gang rape and assembly for common intentions [ Sections - 70 (1) & 3 (5) of the BNS] and the penalty, the Section 70(1) suggests was - rigorous imprisonment for not less than 20 years, which further may be extended for life. Subhendu Adhikari took reference how the Uttar Pradesh government handling such issues giving 'instant justice'. 

 

The FIR lodged by the victim girl's father also mentioned about five culprits. The girl's classmate cum boyfriend hailing from Malda district has still been detained by the police. Some Opposition leaders, and the girl's father demanded arrest of the boyfriend, too, which the police rejected to comply with. The Deputy Commissioner of Police, Durgapur, Abhishek Gupta said: "The girl's statement hasn't gave any hint about any of the boy's foul play. Instead, he's cooperating us a lot."

 

The police, according to the Government pleader, Debabrata Sain: "Suspect that some others may also be involved and for that 10 days remand was pleaded. Also, police wants to examine whether it's a case of conspiracy, or a revenge." The DCP said: "Our investigations are moving to right order following every procedure."

 

How the police could identify the five accused once the FIR didn't name any person, asked, the DCP said: "We have recovered the cellphone of the victim from the possession of one of them and others were identified as another of the five had made a call to the snatched phone possibly intending to give a caution, the call details of the victim’s phone revealed."

 

The miscreants, after assaulting the girl's boyfriend had hounded out him before 'committing' the crime. They, the boyfriend claimed, had demanded cash and as they failed to pay that, one of the miscreants had snatched the mobile on condition that it would be returned back only after making payment of the ransom amount. The victim's father, in his statement claimed that the miscreants had demanded Rs 5000.

 

Once the entire five arrests were made by the police, the victim's father said today: "I spent Rs 80 Lakh to buy a seat in this medical college for my daughter, which, I never guessed, would cost dearer. The college has shattered my family dreams badly." He said: "The Odhisa Chief Minister already has assured a berth for my daughter in Bhuvaneswar where I will relocate her." He himself runs a college in Jaleshwar, besides a medicine distributorship. He said: "I hold good rapport with the bigwigs of Odhisa politics. Also, we are having a sound relation with Adhikari." 

 

A delegation of the Odhisa Women's Commission visited the victim girl's cabin this evening and tomorrow a sitting Minister of Odhisa government Pratap Sarangi is scheduled to visit the college and join BJP's six days protest dharna, the party sources said.

On monday late evening an urgent press conference by Asansol Durgapur Police commissioner Sunil Chowdhury at Deputy Commissioner of Police, (East) office Durgapur, said, "he visited the hospital and took stock of medical status of the girl. All five accused were booked and the accused were allowed ten days police remand to help further investigations."