After disbelief, cops file chargesheet in Park Street rape case

The Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee had called it “shajano ghotona (fabricated story to malign the government).” Damayanati Sen, former Joint Commissioner of Police, Crime, who cracked the Park Street case within four days of the accused being arrested was transferred to a less prominent post as DIG. But despite the earlier controversies in the case, the Kolkata police on Thursday pressed gang rape charges against five persons in the Park Street case, corroborating the victim’s allegation, reported The Telegraph. [caption id=“attachment_306129” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Representational image. Reuters”]  [/caption] The police submitted the charge sheet against the five accused persons at Alipore Court 82 days after the first arrest for the alleged rape of the 37-year-old woman in a car on the night of 5 February. The police slapped section 376(2g) (committing gang rape),  Section 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code against the five - Nishad Khan alias Ruman Khan, Naseer Khan, Sumit Bajaj, Kadir Khan and Mohammad Ali. While first three were arrested on 18 February, the rest are still absconding. The filing of the charge sheet means that the trial can start after the charges are framed against the accused.  Usually, chances of bail brighten as the filing of the chargesheet signals that the investigation process is over. However, this case may be an exception. The bail petition by the three accused who have been behind bars since 18 February was rejected by the court as the “accused are influential, and may tamper with evidence.” Kolkata Police claimed that they scanned CCTV footages from cameras installed in and outside the night club and they have strong visual evidence that the accused whisked her away in a car, reported The Times of India. The final report says that the investigating agency seized the car used in the crime and the forensic report also confirmed rape. They also said that they have a strong case since the accused have admitted to their crime in an interrogation. The police said that the accused impersonated five other youths while introducing themselves to the woman in the club and later took her in the vehicle where she was gangraped.