Thaindian News

Kolkata, March 3 (IANS) Two people have been arrested for the alleged rape of a woman in Katwa area of West Bengal’s Burdwan district, police said Saturday, contradicting Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee who termed the crime “fabricated”.

“We have arrested two people from Birbhum’s Labhpur last night (Friday) in connection with the alleged rape at Katwa. We have sought their police custody for further interrogation,” Burdwan’s Superintendent of police S.H. Mirza said.

The accused Nayan Sheikh and Farid Sheikh were remanded to 10 days’ police custody by a court.

The arrests come four days after Banerjee had rubbished the allegations of a middle-aged woman in a police complaint that she was raped by a gang of robbers after she tried to confront them during a robbery attempt Feb 26 in a suburban train near Katwa.

The chief minister had instead alleged that the opposition Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) was orchestrating a malicious campaign, drawing a furious response from the left party which termed her statements “irresponsible”.

“A complaint of rape has been filed. Nothing has been found in the medical report. Where is the evidence? I do not think any incident of rape has taken place. I hear a political party, of which the woman’s husband is a supporter, has planned to use its workers to cry rape,” Banerjee had said Feb 28.

Reacting to Banerjee’s claim, the woman had said: “I am a woman, why I would make such a complaint unless it has happened with me? Why doesn’t she investigate to find what is the truth?”

Following the incident, two people were arrested Feb 28 from Katwa and were sent to seven days’ police custody by the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate’s court (Katwa). However, the charges pressed by police against them did not mention rape.