Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi assured full support to the 23-year-old medical student from Durgapur who was gang-raped last week. The Chief Minister personally spoke to the victim over the phone on Monday night and promised that the Odisha government would stand by her and her family in every possible way.
“Don’t worry at all. The Odisha government is with you and your family. Don’t lose patience at all,” the Chief Minister reportedly told the victim, wishing her a speedy recovery. He also assured her that the culprits will be punished severely and that the government would assist her in continuing her studies.
During the conversation, the victim requested Majhi to arrange for her transfer to a medical college in Odisha. Responding to her plea, Majhi said, “You are a student of a private medical college. Therefore, I have to make necessary inquiries about how you can be transferred. I have spoken to the officials to look into this matter.”
The Chief Minister also spoke to the victim’s parents and Odisha Women’s Commission Chairperson Sovana Mohanty, who accompanied a delegation to meet the victim at the Durgapur hospital.
The Odisha Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) released a video of the conversation. Majhi also spoke to the victim’s mother, enquiring whether they had communicated with West Bengal Governor CV Anand Bose and reiterated his assurance that the culprits would be brought to justice soon.
After visiting the hospital, Odisha Women’s Commission Chairperson Sovana made strong remarks, stating, “The treatment of the victim needs to be improved. The Chief Minister of the state, who is herself a woman, should not have said that women should not go out at night.”
Also Read: BJP begins six-day dharna in Durgapur over student's gang-rape
Meanwhile, Asansol-Durgapur Police Commissioner Sunil Kumar Chowdhury confirmed that all five people have been arrested in connection with the case. “A very painful incident. We have made all arrangements for the safety of the victim and her family. We were, are and will be with them,” he said, adding that the victim’s friend is being questioned multiple times for further information.
The arrested accused have been identified as Apu Bauri, Sheikh Riazuddin, Sheikh Shafiqul, Sheikh Firdous, and Sheikh Nasiruddin. All five were produced before the Durgapur Subdivisional Court, which remanded them to 10 days of police custody.
The shocking incident, which took place at a private medical college hospital in Shobhapur, Durgapur, has sparked outrage and demands for justice across both Odisha and West Bengal.
Also Read: All five accused held in Durgapur rape case: WB Police
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