A woman tourist was dragged into a forest and allegedly raped by two men while her male friend was tied to a tree and beaten up in Digha in West Bengal's East Midnapore district. The two men were arrested in connection with the incident.
The incident occurred around 11 pm on February 3 when the woman, who was on a vacation with her male friend, was looking for a hotel when the accused approached them and claimed they would book their room at an affordable price.
The woman and her male friend hailed from the Mahisadal area of East Midnapore district, according to sources.
The accused asked the woman and her friend to get on their motorbikes and claimed the hotel was far off. As soon as they boarded the bike, the couple was driven to a secluded place where the accused snatched their possessions, including wallets, mobile phones and ornaments.
The police said the accused asked the woman to remove her clothes following the robbery. When she refused, the men dragged her into a forest and allegedly raped her. The accused also tied her friend to the tree and beat him up until he fell unconscious, the police said. The accused later fled the spot.
"The woman and her friend were searching for hotels when the men approached and offered help. They manipulated them into believing that the hotels were far away. Later, they took them into the forest where they raped the woman and thrashed the man after having him tied to a tree,” the investigating officer of Digha police station.
The following morning, the woman sought help from locals and reached the nearest police station in Digha, and filed an FIR. Based on the complaint, Digha police launched a manhunt and arrested the two accused.
"A complaint was filed against the accused under sections 376, 379, and 34 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). At first sight, the two accused were arrested after the complaint was registered within four hours. They are believed to have been directly involved in the incident," the East Midnapore SP said.
The accused were produced in front of the Kanthi sub-divisional court in East Mindapore district on Monday where the judge ordered a Test Identification (TI) parade. The victim also appeared for a secret statement recording in court, following which the judge remanded them to judicial custody for 14 days.
"We demand stringent punishment of the accused and this is my plea before the judge," the victim’s brother said.
He added, "This may not be the first time such a gruesome incident came to light in the busiest tourist spot of West Bengal. It is my sister who showed the courage to come forward. They beat her, dragged her into the forest, and rape her after she refused to comply with their unscrupulous demands."
The incident drew sharp criticism from the Opposition in the state.
Leader of Opposition and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari on Monday slammed the law and order situation, saying that "the system has collapsed".
On the other hand, the West Bengal BJP women's wing is also expected to stage a protest at the state assembly during the upcoming Budget session.
