Mamata agrees to Firhad’s resignation as civic body mayor: Kunal Ghosh
Mamata Banerjee gave a nod to Firhad Hakim’s proposal to resign from the mayoral post claimed by TMC leader Kunal Ghosh today.
The West Bengal Police have arrested the fifth suspect in connection with the alleged gang-rape of a medical student from Odisha in Durgapur, said the Asansol Durgapur-Police Commissionerate on Monday.
With this arrest, the police have now taken a total of five accused into custody in the case, which has sparked outrage and a political blame game in the state.
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The earlier arrested three accused are identified as Apu Bauri, Sheikh Firdous, and Sheikh Riyazuddin—who were produced before a local court yesterday and sent to 10-day police custody.
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The fourth suspect, SK Nasiruddin, was taken into custody on Sunday night after a lengthy interrogation. He is an employee of the Durgapur Municipal Corporation and will be produced in the Durgapur Sub-Divisional Court for further custody. The police have filed the case against five individuals.
The second-year medical student was allegedly gang-raped in a forested area near the campus late on Friday night. According to the police, the girl had gone out with her male friend for dinner when a group of men allegedly chased her friend and dragged the victim into a forest behind the campus.
The male friend reportedly returned with other friends, but the accused had fled by then. The victim was found on the ground and taken to a hospital, where she is currently undergoing treatment.
Meanwhile, the political debate over the incident has intensified, with the opposition BJP criticizing West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee over her “insensitive” remarks.
Reacting to the incident, Mamata reportedly asked, “How did they (the girl and her male friend) come out of the campus at 12:30 am? Wasn’t it the responsibility of the college? I don’t know why they were allowed to leave at that hour.”
In response, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju said, “Imagine if this statement was made by a BJP Chief Minister! The entire ecosystem and self-declared liberal journalists (actually an illiberal gang) would have created an unbearable situation in the country.”
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