Kolkata, Jun 27 (PTI) A first-year student at a law college in south Kolkata was allegedly gang-raped by an alumnus and two senior students, according to a police officer's statement on Friday. The three accused have been arrested and presented in court, where they were remanded to four days in police custody. The victim is in the process of giving a confidential statement before a judicial magistrate.
The National Women's Commission took suo motu cognizance of the incident that took place on the evening of June 25, instructing Kolkata Police to provide a detailed report of actions taken within three days. This incident at South Calcutta Law College has reignited the memory of last year's shocking rape and murder case of an intern inside the city's RG Kar Medical College, which led to significant political upheaval across the state.
The prime accused is reportedly a former student of the institution and, ironically, a practising criminal lawyer at the Alipore Police and Sessions Court, college sources mentioned. The two other accused are senior students at the college. According to the college authorities, the main accused was temporarily employed as non-teaching staff at the institution on a renewable 45-day contract.
The prime accused is presented on social media as the former president of the college's Trinamool Congress Chhatra Parishad unit and the organizational secretary of the TMC's student wing in south Kolkata. Photographs show him with several prominent figures of the state's ruling party.
However, the Trinamool Congress denied any current connections with the accused and called for "the most severe punishment" if proven guilty. Police have reported that the crime occurred inside a guard's room near the student union office on the evening of June 25, lasting over two hours.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the victim arrived in the afternoon to complete academic paperwork, remaining after being persuaded by certain individuals. According to her complaint at the Kasba police station, she was attacked in the evening and taken to the ground floor room where she was allegedly raped until around 10 PM. Authorities have sealed the location, and forensic experts are collecting evidence for the investigation.
Sources indicate that the victim was allegedly assaulted after she refused a marriage proposal from the main accused and attempted to leave the premises in distress. She also claimed the incident was filmed, and she was threatened with the release of the footage online. The mobile devices of the accused are seized and being examined for any distribution of the footage.
The college's Vice Principal, Dr. Nayna Chatterji, commented on the issue by stating that the main accused, who transitioned into a lawyer, was given a "purely temporary" position accorded by a resolution of the governing body.
Congress and AIDSO held protests outside Kasba PS during the day before being dispersed by police. TMCP president Trinankur Bhattacharya demanded strict punishment for the accused while clarifying that the main suspect never held a leadership position within the organization, citing that the students' body at this institution has been inactive for years.
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