‘She was assaulted between 8-9 pm’: Survivor’s father rebuts Mamata Banerjee’s ‘12.30 am’ claim in Durgapur rape case

Durgapur gangrape survivor's father said, “My daughter was sexually assaulted between 8 pm and 9 pm on Friday. Yet the Chief Minister falsely suggested that the incident took place past midnight.”

The father of the 23-year-old medical student from Odisha has strongly disputed West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s statement about the timing of his daughter leaving her hostel campus. During a press briefing, Mamata said she was informed that the student and a male classmate were outside the campus around 12.30 am.

Speaking in response, the girl’s father said, “My daughter was sexually assaulted between 8 pm and 9 pm on Friday. Yet the Chief Minister falsely suggested that the incident took place past midnight.”

He also criticised Mamata’s alleged comment suggesting that women should be cautious about venturing out at night. “Despite being a woman herself, she made an insensitive remark suggesting women should not be out at night,” The Times of India quoted him as saying.

Earlier, a team of officials from the Odisha government visited West Bengal to review the progress of the investigation into the assault. Their visit came after the survivor’s parents had expressed concerns about a possible delay or laxity in the police action.

According to Niranjan Behera, the Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) from Balasore district, who visited Durgapur as part of the team, “We held discussions with the West Bengal police and reviewed the progress of their investigation, which we found satisfactory. Within 36 hours, three accused were arrested and another suspect was detained for questioning.”

“The police updated us on their progress, and we found their work satisfactory,” Hemanta Singh, Additional District Magistrate of Balasore, was quoted by TOI as saying.

Shovana Mohanty, Chairperson of the Odisha State Commission for Women, said her team plans to visit West Bengal soon to provide support to the survivor. “We will conduct a counselling session for the medical student and make sure she is receiving proper treatment in Durgapur,” Mohanty added.