Kolkata woman gang-raped during birthday celebration

Dubai: A 20-year-old woman has alleged that she was gang-raped by two acquaintances during her birthday celebrations in Kolkata’s upscale Regent Park area, prompting police to launch a manhunt for the accused, Indian media reports said.

Police identified the suspects as Chandan Malik, who introduced himself as the head of a prominent Durga Puja committee, and a man known as Deep, reportedly a government employee. Both men are currently absconding, according to IANS.

According to investigators, the survivor, a resident of Haridevpur in south Kolkata, said she was invited to Deep’s flat on Friday under the pretext of celebrating her birthday. After sharing a meal, the men allegedly prevented her from leaving, locked the door, and raped her.

She managed to escape the following morning around 10.30am and informed her family. An FIR was subsequently lodged at Haridevpur Police Station on Saturday under relevant sections of the law.

“We have started a search for the accused who are absconding,” a senior officer of Kolkata Police said.

The survivor told police she met Chandan several months ago and was introduced to Deep through him. Both men promised to involve her in Durga Puja committee activities, which kept them in frequent contact.

The incident has reignited concerns over women’s safety in Kolkata — a city often described as the safest in India for women by National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data.

On June 25, a law student was allegedly raped on the South Calcutta Law College campus. The prime accused, alumnus Monojit Mishra, was later arrested. Mishra, a former Trinamool Chhatra Parishad (TMCP) unit president, had been expelled from the student group two years earlier.

Last year, the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital sparked nationwide outrage. The accused, Sanjay Roy, a former civic police volunteer, was sentenced to life imprisonment earlier this year.

Women’s rights activists say the recurring incidents point to systemic failures in addressing crimes against women, despite the city’s reputation for safety.

The investigation into Friday’s alleged gang-rape is ongoing, with police teams deployed to trace the absconding accused.