In yet another grim reminder of India’s unending battle against gender violence, police in West Bengal on Tuesday arrested the male friend of the MBBS student who was allegedly gangraped last Friday night in a forested area near a private medical college in Paschim Bardhaman district.
The arrest came hours after investigators reconstructed the crime scene with the survivor’s companion and one of the five earlier arrested accused.
“The male friend of the victim, who had accompanied her that night, has been arrested,” confirmed Abhishek Gupta, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Asansol-Durgapur).
“He had been under suspicion from the very beginning and had been questioned for the past three days.”
According to police sources, the friend—also a student of the same medical college—gave contradictory statements during interrogation, deepening suspicion about his role.
He has now been charged under the same sections as the other accused, including gangrape and criminal conspiracy.
The police said he will be produced before the court on Wednesday.
Preliminary investigations and CCTV data from the medical college reveal that the victim and her friend had left the campus at 7:58 p.m. on Friday.
He returned alone by 8:42 p.m., only to leave again six minutes later. The two came back together at 9:29 p.m. — a timeline that has raised troubling questions about what transpired during that missing hour.
The survivor’s father, who had lodged the initial complaint, had already expressed suspicion about the friend’s involvement.
“He misled my daughter and took her to a deserted place outside the campus,” he alleged. His words, chilling in hindsight, have now gained tragic resonance.
According to police, the young woman from Odisha was lured to an isolated area, dragged into the forest, and gangraped by a group of men.
Her attackers snatched her phone and demanded ₹3,000 to return it. She is currently undergoing treatment in a Durgapur hospital, where her condition is stated to be stable, but her spirit is visibly shaken.
In her statement before a magistrate, the survivor reportedly accused her friend of molesting her — a revelation that further exposes the depths of betrayal and trauma she endured.
During the police reconstruction, which was fully videographed, the male friend — dressed in a blue T-shirt — was seen narrating his version of events.
However, discrepancies between his statements and forensic clues prompted his arrest.
Commissioner of Police Sunil Chowdhury earlier said that while one of the five arrested locals was identified by the survivor as the primary assailant, the investigation was examining “the precise role and level of involvement” of each accused.
“We are awaiting the forensic and medico-legal reports,” he said.
To ensure no loophole is left unexamined, police have added new charges under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS): 304(2) for snatching, 308(2) for extortion, and 317(2) for retaining stolen property.
Earlier, investigators visited the homes of two accused — Sheikh Riazuddin and Sheikh Nassiruddin — in Birja village, seizing the clothes they allegedly wore during the assault.
Forensic teams are now examining the recovered garments and the accused’s mobile phones, which could contain crucial digital evidence.
Police had earlier arrested five men from nearby villages — Apu Bauri (21), Firdous Sheikh (23), Sheikh Riazuddin (32), Safiq (27), and Sheikh Nasiruddin (24) — within 36 hours of the incident.
The survivor’s phone was recovered from one of them. All five remain in police custody till October 21.
The horrifying case has sparked widespread outrage across the state and beyond. West Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose, who visited the survivor in the hospital, expressed deep anguish, stating bluntly: “Bengal is no longer safe for the girl child.”
The survivor’s father, overwhelmed with emotion, declared, “I will not keep my daughter here any longer. This place is not safe.”
Shovana Mohanty, Chairperson of the Odisha State Commission for Women, also visited Durgapur to meet the victim and review the case.
Meanwhile, the BJP and Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) organised protests in several parts of West Bengal, including Kolkata, demanding the strictest possible punishment for the culprits and immediate justice for the survivor.
This tragic case once again exposes the growing moral decay festering across both urban and rural India, where education, instead of nurturing empathy and respect, often fails to prevent young men from descending into barbarity.
The crime, committed near a centre of medical learning, is a grim reflection of the deeper sickness that afflicts society — a sickness of the mind and spirit.
It is time for the Government of India and all state administrations to go beyond rhetoric.
Campaigns must no longer stop at slogans; they must evolve into a sustained national mission that instils respect for women — rough education, legal awareness, and consistent enforcement of stringent laws.
The message must be loud and unambiguous: sexual violence will invite the harshest punishment, and no one — educated or uneducated, rich or poor — will escape justice.
The government must launch a nationwide awareness drive targeting schools, colleges, and rural communities — emphasising not just the legal consequences of rape, but also the moral and social shame it brings upon families, communities, and the nation itself.
Only when fear of the law combines with respect for human dignity will there be a lasting impact.
This case is not just about one young woman’s shattered dignity — it is about India’s collective conscience. Justice must not only be done but must be seen to be done swiftly, publicly, and decisively. It is hoped that Mamta Didi is listening.
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