Durgapur gang rape case: Lawyer of arrested classmate claims victim is in relationship with his client

Kolkata, Oct 22 (IANS) In a shocking claim, the lawyer of a man arrested in the Durgapur gang rape case – the victim’s classmate – on Wednesday said that the two (accused and the victim) are in a relationship. This claim was made before the Durgapur court where the arrested classmate was produced by the police along with three other accused in the case.

On Wednesday, the arrested classmate’s lawyer Pragyadipto Roy filed a bail petition in the court. He said in his plea in the court that the victim had gone out of the private medical college and hospital with her client on her own will.

He told that the first statement of the victim also says the same. Then the lawyer said that his client had a love affair with the victim. The lawyer then argued that the classmate should be granted bail as there was no charge of rape against him.

Opposing the bail of the victim’s classmate, government lawyer Vibhas Chatterjee said that the victim had given another statement and said that her classmate had taken her to feed ‘phuchka’ (pani puri).

The victim also said in her statement that the arrested classmate molested her.

The government lawyer also told the court that if the WhatsApp chats between the victim and his arrested classmate are analyzed, a lot of information will come to light.

After this, the court sent the victim’s classmate and the other three accused to five days’ jail custody. He will be presented in the court again on October 27.

On October 10, a second-year medical student from Odisha was allegedly gang-raped by five men in a forested area outside a private medical college and hospital in Durgapur in West Burdwan district.

Based on the complaint of the victim, the police had arrested all the five accused in the first case. Police said that only one person was involved in the physical and sexual assault of the medical student.

Later the police arrested the victim’s male friend.

The male friend was arrested after investigators found inconsistencies in his answers during questioning.

–IANS

SH/PGH