Durgapur Case: Police rule out gang-rape, probe victim’s friend’s role

New Delhi: West Bengal police have said that the Durgapur medical student was sexually assaulted by one of the accused, ruling out the initial claims of a gang-rape. Investigators are still probing the involvement of others arrested in the case.

According to officials, five men were earlier taken into custody, and the victim’s friend—who was with her on the night of the assault—has now also been detained for questioning. Police said his role “is not beyond doubt” and remains under scrutiny.

“As of now, we have found that physical sexual assault was committed by one accused. The role of the remaining five is still being investigated,” Kolkata police told news agency ANI.

Asansol-Durgapur Police Commissioner Sunil Kumar Choudhary said the team had gathered “technical and scientific evidence” and completed crucial steps, including the reconstruction of the crime scene, forensic collection, medico-legal examinations, and seizure of clothing from the suspects.

On Tuesday, investigators recreated the sequence of events with all six individuals—the five arrested men and the victim’s friend—at a wooded area near the private medical college where the incident took place.

“The entire exercise was videographed under the supervision of an IPS officer,” a senior official said.

Police also carried out searches at the homes of two accused earlier in the day, seizing clothes allegedly worn during the assault.

The garments, along with those recovered earlier from the other suspects, will be sent for forensic analysis. Mobile phones of the accused have also been sent for examination, officials added.

The 20-year-old second-year MBBS student from Odisha was allegedly assaulted near her college campus in Durgapur on Friday night after she had gone out for dinner with her friend.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee courted controversy with her comment that “girls should not be allowed to go outside at night,” drawing sharp criticism from opposition leaders and women’s rights groups.