Durgapur Assault: CCTV Shows Survivor, Friend Return to Campus Together

In a significant development in the investigation into the alleged sexual assault of a second-year MBBS student in Durgapur, West Bengal, security camera footage has provided a clearer timeline of the survivor’s movements on the night of the incident. The footage, sourced from the private medical college campus, has captured the survivor and her male classmate walking back to the college premises together after the alleged crime took place.

The surveillance video, which has been meticulously reviewed by the West Bengal Police as part of their ongoing probe, shows the female student returning to the campus in the company of the classmate who had accompanied her when she left the premises earlier for dinner.

According to a press release from the private medical college and corroboration by police, the sequence of events as captured by CCTV is as follows:

• Leaving the Campus: The survivor and her college-mate were seen leaving the campus together at approximately 7:58 PM on the night of the incident.
• Initial Return and Departure of Friend: The male friend was then observed returning to the campus alone at around 8:42 PM. After a brief period near the main exit, he stepped out again at 8:48 PM.
• Final Return Together: Crucially, the footage then shows both the survivor and the classmate entering the campus together again at approximately 9:29 PM, following which the female student proceeded to the girls’ hostel.

This visual evidence is being closely examined by investigators to reconcile the facts with the varying statements provided by the survivor, the arrested individuals, and the friend himself. The footage confirms that the two students were together at different points before and after the alleged assault, which the college noted was an “occurrence she herself claimed and reported” took place outside the campus.

Friend Arrested Amid ‘Incoherent’ Statements

The CCTV footage became a critical component in the investigation, particularly after the friend’s account of the evening raised suspicions. Following intense questioning by investigating officers, the male classmate, a resident of Malda, was later taken into custody. His arrest, which brings the total number of arrests in the case to six, was made after his replies regarding the incident were reportedly found to be “incoherent” and inconsistent with the evidence gathered. The victim’s father had earlier voiced strong suspicions regarding the friend’s involvement, suggesting the possibility of the crime being pre-planned.

Further developments in the case include the police conducting a reconstruction of the crime scene with the arrested accused and the friend to verify their statements against the sequence of events. The investigation team also recovered the survivor’s mobile phone, which was reportedly snatched during the assault, and has sent collected clothes and other physical evidence for forensic examination.

The case has drawn national attention, sparking protests over women’s safety and the security protocols at the private medical college. Police continue to investigate the specific roles of all six arrested individuals, with authorities suggesting that while initial charges were filed under sections related to gang rape, the investigation, based on the survivor’s statement and initial medical findings, currently points toward one primary person committing the sexual assault, with the others’ specific roles in the incident still under review.

The survivor remains under treatment, and her detailed in-camera statement to a judicial magistrate is being given full weight as the investigation proceeds towards a comprehensive conclusion. The clarity offered by the CCTV footage is expected to play a key role in establishing the precise timeline and circumstances leading up to and following the assault.