Within 36 hours of the alleged rape of a second-year MBBS student of a private medical college in West Bengal's Durgapur, the state police have made three arrests in the case. "The three arrested men have been forwarded to court today, and further investigation is going on as per the protocol," Abhishek Gupta, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Asansol-Durgapur Police Commissionerate, told reporters. The police identified them as Apu Bauri, 21, Firdous Shiekh, 23, and Sheikh Riazuddin, 32. The police have also seized the student’s mobile phone from the accused. When they were being brought out of the police station, one of them claimed that all the allegations against them were false. According to police sources, the student, who hails from Odisha, had gone out of the campus with a male friend when she was sexually assaulted. Speaking to The Indian Express, the student’s father said, “My daughter is a bit stable now. I have just met her. I want justice for my daughter.” Breaking down, he further said, “She is not able to walk . The Odisha CM, DG, and SP are all helping me. There is no security here. So I have requested my CM to let me take my daughter back. They can kill my daughter. I have lost my faith. I will not keep my daughter here anymore.” The police said the accused hailed from nearby villages and that they were ascertaining if more people were involved in the incident and if the student’s companion had any involvement in the crime. The MBBS student was allegedly dragged outside her college campus in Pashchim Bardhaman district and raped on Friday night. The victim was later rushed to the hospital, where her condition is reportedly stable, though she remains deeply traumatised. According to a source in the police department, searches were conducted the entire night in the jungle area located behind the college premises. The police used a drone to search the whole jungle after tracking the tower location of the mobile phone used by one of the accused. The source said the three men were booked under section 70(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which pertains to gang rape, and section 3(5) for joint criminal liability. Late on Saturday, Deputy Magistrate Ranjana Ray met the woman and her family at the hospital. She later told reporters, “It is a very unfortunate incident. The victim and the family have our full cooperation and support. She is OK. We are hopeful that she will be able to lead a normal life once again over here." Principal Health Secretary Narayan Swaroop Nigam said the director of medical education had been asked to submit a detailed report. The National Commission for Women has taken suo motu cognisance of the case and sought an action-taken report in five days.
