'Dragged, threatened with assault by more men': Durgapur gang rape victim recalls ordeal

The medical student who was allegedly gang-raped in a forest near a private college in Durgapur, West Bengal, has narrated the sexual assault that she was subjected to in detail during her treatment. She has narrated how the attackers chased, cornered and overpowered her during the assault.

‘Chased and overpowered’

According to an India Today report, quoting the victim’s statement made before the doctor during treatment, she said that initially she and her friend noticed that the accused were getting down from their vehicle and approaching them.

Seeing this, she and her friend started running towards the forest, the victim said, adding that the three people ran after, caught her and then dragged her into the forest.

"We noticed that they were leaving their vehicle and coming towards us. We started running towards the forest. Then those three people came running after us, caught me, and dragged me into the forest," the woman said in the statement as quoted by India Today.

Also Read: Durgapur gang rape exposes chinks in Bengal women’s safety yet again

‘Threatened with sexual assault by more men’

Recalling how the three men took her phone and asked her to call her friend, the woman said that when her friend did not come, they made her lie down. The statement further revealed that when she screamed, the three accused threatened her that if she made noise, they would call more men, and they would also sexually assault her.

"They grabbed me from behind, took my phone and told me to call my friend. When he didn't come, they forced me to lie down. When I screamed, they said that if I made noise, they would call more men, and they would do it too. So just let me do it," the woman said.

Also Read: Durgapur gang rape: 2 more arrested; cops say ‘all 5 accused’ held

Victim’s father slams Mamata

The medical student, 23, hailing from Odisha's Jaleswar, was gang-raped on Friday night. According to media reports, among the five men arrested so far, one is a former security guard at the college, another is a hospital staff member, one is a casual worker with the local civic body, and another is unemployed.

A senior police officer said that all the accused will be taken to the spot of the crime to reconstruct the chain of events and corroborate the survivor’s statement.

The incident has kicked up a political storm in the state, with the woman’s father lashing out at Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over her remarks on the incident.

"She (CM) is also a woman. How can she (Mamata Banerjee) say such an irresponsible thing? Should women quit their jobs and sit at home? It seems Bengal is under the rule of Aurangzeb. I want to take my daughter back to Odisha. Her life comes first, her career later," the woman’s father said as quoted by India Today.

His remark came in the wake of the Chief Minister's controversial statement that "female students should not step out late at night".