Durgapur Gang-Rape Case: Classmate Claims Relationship, Bail Denied

Kolkata/Durgapur: In a surprising development in the Durgapur gang-rape case, the lawyer of an arrested classmate of the victim claimed in court on Wednesday that the accused and the victim were in a consensual relationship. The statement was made before a Durgapur court where the classmate was produced along with three other accused.

The accused’s lawyer, Pragyadipto Roy, filed a bail application, arguing that the victim had voluntarily left the private medical college and hospital with his client and that there was no rape charge against him. Roy claimed that the first statement of the victim also indicated her consent and maintained that his client was in a love relationship with her.

Opposing the bail, public prosecutor Bibhas Chatterjee highlighted that the victim’s subsequent statements contradicted this claim. According to her, the classmate took her to eat ‘phuchka’ (pani puri) and allegedly molested her. The prosecutor added that analysis of WhatsApp chats between the victim and the accused could reveal further crucial information.

The court denied bail and sent the classmate and the three other accused to five-day judicial custody. They are scheduled to be produced before the court again on October 27.

The case stems from an alleged gang-rape incident on October 10, in which a second-year medical student from Odisha was reportedly assaulted by five men in a forested area near a private medical college and hospital in Durgapur, West Burdwan district. Police stated that only one person was directly involved in the sexual assault.

The victim’s male friend, a classmate, was later arrested after investigators found inconsistencies in his statements during questioning.