Kolkata gang-rape case: Accused’s father backs punishment if son found guilty

AS the row o'er the alleged gangrape of a jurisprudence pupil in southward calcutta continued to escalate, the father of one of the accused on Saturday called for “strong punishment” for his son if his involvement is proved, asserting complete faith in the state police.Police have so far arrested four persons, including prime accused Monojit Mishra, for the alleged gang-rape of a first-year student of the South Calcutta Law College, an incident which took place on June 25.The father of one of the accused spoke to news agency ANI and said, "First, I am a citizen of India, then a father. The matter is sub-judice and the police are carrying out the investigation."ALSO READ | West Bengal: College security guard arrested in Kolkata law college gang-rape case"We have trust in the court...Strict punishment should be given to him if he is found to be involved in the incident...We have full faith in the Kolkata police," he added. The incident came to light after the survivor lodged an FIR with the Kasba police station on June 26. The first-year student said that the accused allegedly asked her to stay back when she had gone to the campus for some work in the evening.According to the FIR, the woman said that he called her outside the Union room and proposed marriage to her. But when she was about to leave, the main accused told the other two persons to step "outside and lock the door", following which he took her near the washroom and tried to force her "with the intention of rousing sex".She pleaded with him to let her go, but he ignored her requests, the survivor said. "I touched his feet but he did not let me go, but he did not listen,” her statement read.The woman alleged that the accused did not only rape her but also threatened her to remain silent. She said the accused recorded the assault and used the footage to blackmail her.Additionally, the medical examination of the survivor further corroborated her allegation of gangrape. Officials confirmed that the injuries on her body were consistent with the assault, with doctors finding evidence of "forceful penetration, bite marks and nail scratches".ALSO READ | ‘State-sponsored brutality’: BJP doubles down on TMC link to Kolkata rape accusedProtests and political tiffs between the ruling Trinamool Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party also erupted in the state, with the latter taking potshots at the Mamata Banerjee-led party for Mishra's alleged links to it. The BJP claimed that Monojit Mishra had connections with the senior leadership of TMC.However, TMC has denied the party's connection to Mishra, saying that he was not a former president of the Trinamool Youth Wing. The party called for a strict punishment for the accused and assured justice in the case.