New Delhi: Rajya Sabha MP Rekha Sharma has sharply criticised the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government over the alleged gangrape of a female law student at South Calcutta Law College, accusing the Trinamool Congress (TMC) of pressuring the police and hampering investigations.
Speaking to ANI on Monday, Sharma expressed her disappointment over the handling of the case. “Despite having a woman CM, such incidents are happening repeatedly there. Last year, the RG Kar Medical College incident came to light. Now, such an incident has occurred in a law college. All three accused in the case are involved with the TMC. On the fifth day, the police were able to get some evidence against them. What was the police doing till now? Repeatedly, the TMC workers pressure the police and ruin the case. It should not happen this time,” she said.
The alleged incident took place on June 25 inside South Calcutta Law College, located in the Kasba area of the city.
Earlier on Monday, Kolkata Police said that all three FIR-named accused were arrested within 12 hours of the crime. A fourth person was later arrested based on further evidence.
The police said medicolegal examinations of both the victim and the accused have been completed, and forensic experts have examined the crime scene. A five-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by senior officers is overseeing the case.
“Kasba Law College case update: All three FIR-named accused persons have been arrested in less than 12 hours. Another accused person has since been arrested based on evidence. Medicolegal examination of the victim and the accused persons has been completed. Forensic examination of the place of occurrence has been done. Investigation is being monitored by a special investigation team under the close supervision of senior officers. Kolkata Police is committed to ensuring that the perpetrators of the crime face the harshest possible legal action and the victim gets justice at the earliest,” the police said in a post on X.
Meanwhile, a four-member BJP fact-finding committee also visited Kolkata to assess the situation. The delegation includes former Union Ministers Satpal Singh and Meenakshi Lekhi, Lok Sabha MP Biplab Kumar Deb, and Rajya Sabha MP Manan Kumar Mishra.
The main accused in the case, Manojit Mishra, has been taken into custody along with three others. The SIT continues to probe the matter.