The Kolkata Police on Saturday confirmed that medical examination reports of the South Calcutta Law College student, who was allegedly gangraped on campus, have indicated sexual assault. Investigators have arrested the college’s security guard, Pinaki Banerjee, citing inconsistencies in his statements and his alleged complicity in the incident.
According to senior police officials, doctors at the National Medical College and Hospital found “evidence of forcible penetration and visible injuries on the victim’s body”. Counselling of the survivor has also been conducted by an authorised professional, they said.
“The medico-legal team has collected critical samples from the victim, which are expected to play a key role in corroborating her allegations in court,” said a senior officer associated with the investigation.
Banerjee, 55, was produced before a city court on Saturday and has been remanded in police custody till July 1. “We are examining inconsistencies in his earlier statements,” an officer said.
Guard ‘stood by silently’, alleges complaint
As per the complaint lodged by the 24-year-old student, the college guard had allegedly locked the main gate and prevented her from escaping. The incident, the complaint states, occurred inside the guard room after the main accused instructed his accomplices to take her there.
“I packed things and went outside to escape and saw that they have locked the main gate and the guard was helpless and did not help,” she wrote. In another part of her statement, the survivor said, “Zaib and Pramit again forcefully took me to the union room… [they] took me to the guard’s room and made the guard sit outside. They did so.”
The survivor alleged she was assaulted by Manojit Mishra, a former student of the college and an organising secretary of the Trinamool Congress’s student wing. Two other students, Zaib Ahmed and Pramit Mukhopadhyay, allegedly stood guard.
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CCTV, forensic evidence under review
A five-member special investigation team (SIT), headed by an officer of Assistant Commissioner rank, has been formed to probe the case. CCTV footage, including visuals from Gate No. 1 and the union room, has been seized. “We are verifying who entered and exited during the time of the incident,” an officer said.
Forensic teams have also collected material evidence from the crime scene. Police said a hockey stick, allegedly used to assault the complainant, has been recovered from the union room.
Investigators believe the survivor may have been subjected to repeated assaults over several hours. “Although the security guard was present during the incident, he remained a helpless witness and did not help her… We found reasons enough to suspect his involvement and knowledge in the incident,” an officer stated.
BJP forms fact-finding panel, TMC calls it ‘political’
Meanwhile, the BJP on Saturday constituted a four-member fact-finding committee to probe the incident. The team includes former Union Ministers Satyapal Singh and Meenakshi Lekhi, former Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Deb, and Rajya Sabha MP Manan Kumar Mishra.
Party sources said the panel will visit the campus, interact with students, and submit a report to BJP national president JP Nadda. Singh, a former Mumbai Police Commissioner, is expected to provide law enforcement insight, while Deb’s inclusion is seen as a move to ensure better communication with Bengali-speaking stakeholders.
Trinamool Congress spokesperson Kunal Ghosh criticised the move as political posturing. “The police have already acted swiftly and arrested all the accused. What exactly is this BJP committee going to do?” Ghosh said.
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