Chargesheet filed in Durgapur medical student gang-rape case 20 days after incident

Kolkata, Oct 30 The police on Thursday filed a chargesheet before the Durgapur Sub-Divisional Court in connection with the alleged gang-rape of a second-year medical student, 20 days after the incident, an official said.

According to sources, the chargesheet names six accused and details multiple charges, including rape, gang-rape, and extortion. The student’s classmate and boyfriend, who accompanied her on the night of the incident, has been charged with rape, while three others face gang-rape charges and two more have been charged with extortion.

Following the submission, the court directed that the case be taken up for a speedy trial.

Special Public Prosecutor Bibhas Chatterjee said the police completed the investigation in record time. “The charge sheet was prepared after a prompt and detailed investigation. We submitted it before the court today. This is a significant achievement for the Asansol-Durgapur Police Commissionerate. We are hopeful that the trial will conclude within two months,” Chatterjee told reporters.

All six accused, currently in judicial custody, will be produced before the Durgapur court again on Friday for further hearing.

According to police sources, the survivor, who hails from Odisha, had participated in a Test Identification (TI) parade a few days ago and successfully identified five of the accused arrested from a nearby village close to the private medical college. She also identified one of them as the main perpetrator and provided details of each person’s role during the assault.

After the identification process, the survivor was taken back to her home in Odisha. Police said she may return to Durgapur if her testimony is required during the trial.

Earlier this week, the TI parade report was presented before the Durgapur court, confirming that Sheikh Firdous had sexually assaulted the victim on the night of October 10.

However, the survivor’s lawyer argued that besides Firdous, five others, including the victim’s classmate and boyfriend, were also involved in the assault "in one way or another".

The gruesome incident took place on the night of October 10, when the second-year medical student was allegedly gang-raped in a forested area near a private medical college and hospital in Durgapur, located in West Burdwan district.

Based on the survivor’s complaint, police arrested five men soon after the incident. Investigators later concluded that one person had directly committed the assault while others were complicit in different roles. Subsequently, the victim’s boyfriend was also arrested after police found discrepancies in his statements during interrogation.

The case, which sparked outrage among students and women’s groups in the region, is now set for fast-track trial proceedings as directed by the court.

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