Kolkata Woman Raped At Gunpoint – Role of Kolkata Police and Few Questions on the Issue

On 5 February 2012 at about 01.30 am, a woman in Kolkata was raped at gunpoint inside a car. After this brutal act, role of Kolkata police is very strange and as per police the statements issued by the woman also raises doubts.

A woman of Anglo Indian community was raped at gunpoint near the St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata on 5 February 2012. The woman was returning from Tantra, a night club in Kolkata. The woman claims that she was offered lift by some Luvi Gidwani, whom she met on that night only inside the night club Tranta.

The 37 years old mother of two said that as the car started, she found others two friends of Luvi were in the car, Sharafat Ali and Azhar Ali. The driver’s name as claimed by the raped woman is Salman. The woman said that as soon as the car started rolling, gesture of Sharafat Ali became intolerable to the lady and she wanted to get down from the car. At this point Sharafat Ali started beating the lady and then raped her and then she was thrown out of the car at a central point-Exide interaction in the city.

The rape victim and Kolkata police

 The rape victim was so traumatized after the incidence that she lodged a complaint in Park Street police station on 8 February. Park Street police forward the case to court on 10 February and court order forensic test of the rape victim. The test was done on 14 February. The woman took the help of social networking site Facebook to trace her assailants. She got their photos in the site and approached the Park Street police station with those photos and names but had to face noncooperation from the police.  The rape victim says Park Street police mocked her. The concerned officer asked how it was possible in a moving car. One senior officer even looked at her and told his junior that as the date was 14 February, they should go to tantra to enjoy the Valentine’s Day with beer.

Joint CP, Crime Damayanti Sen has assured “departmental inquiry has been set up under the police commissioner and no one if found guilty will be spared".

Discrepancies in statement of the rape victim woman

The rape victim woman alleged that the vehicle owner is Luvi Gidwani but Luvi’s father said that his son is in Canada since January this year.

There are many doubts and questions on the total incidence. The regional Bengali TV channels have done a fantastic job by bringing the focus of people on this case of rape at gunpoint. It seems that many unexpected findings may come out of the rape case from police enquiries in coming days. The whole matter will be revealed very soon and all we can hope that the culprits will be punished