On 31st December (Sunday), the Police arrested all three accused in the alleged gangrape incident of a female IIT-BHU student near her hostel in Uttar Pradesh’s Varanasi in November this year. The Crime Branch and Lanka police station arrested the three accused from the Susuwahi area, and the accused are now under interrogation.
As per reports, the arrested accused have been identified as Kunal Pandey from Brij Enclave Colony Sunderpur, and Anand alias Abhishek Chauhan and Saksham Patel from Jivadhipur Bajardiha. The police have also recovered the motorcycle used in the crime.
Speaking to The Indian Express on Sunday morning, a senior police officer said, “The three accused have been arrested. We will release more details during the day.”
The arrests have taken place two months after a female student was allegedly disrobed at gunpoint, gang-raped by three unknown men, and recorded the incident. It had triggered a massive protest on the campus with thousands of students staging a protest against the sexual assault incident.
As per reports, late on the 1st of November night, three unidentified men forcibly kissed the victim student, took off her clothes, and then recorded a video of her. She also alleged that the miscreants had brutally beaten up her friend before sexually molesting her. They snatched her mobile phone and threatened to kill her if she spoke about her ordeal with anyone or approached the police.
In her complaint to the police, the student said, “I am a resident of a hostel at IIT-BHU. On November 2 around 1.30 am, I left my hostel for a walk. I met a male friend at the Gandhi Smriti hostel intersection. We were walking together and when we were 300-400 metres from Karman Baba temple, a motorcycle approached us from behind with three men.”
In her complaint, the victim wrote, “They parked their motorcycle and separated my friend and me. They shut my mouth tightly and took me to a corner, kissed me forcibly; took off all my clothes, and recorded photos and videos. When I shouted for help, they threatened to kill me. They let me go after 10-15 minutes.”
The complaint further stated, “When I ran towards my hostel, I heard the sound of the motorcycle. I got scared and went inside the professor’s house. I stayed there for 20 minutes. After that, the professor escorted me to the main gate of his house. From there, Rahul Rathore of the Parliament Security Committee dropped me to the IIT BHU patrolling guard booth.”
As per reports, on the second day of the incident, all three accused riding a bullet were captured on CCTV cameras in Chetganj. The purported CCTV footage is now viral on social media. Following the confirmation, the police arrested all the accused in this case.
In the initial FIR, a case was lodged against unidentified men under sections 354-B (assault or use of criminal force to woman with intent to disrobe) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and under the IT Act.
Days later, on the basis of the fresh statement of the victim, police added charges of gangrape to the FIR. IPC sections 341 (wrongful restraint), 342 (wrongful confinement), 507 (criminal intimidation by anonymous communication), and 509 (word, gesture, or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) were also added in this case.
IIT–BHU की छात्रा से गैंगरेप के आरोपी कुणाल पांडेय और सक्षम पटेल BJP की IT सेल के पधाधिकारी निकले। #Varanasi #Up https://t.co/ET09mhZYyT pic.twitter.com/yaUQtRFoLw
— Sachin Gupta (@SachinGuptaUP) December 31, 2023
Meanwhile, as per various local media reports and social media posts, it is alleged that the arrested accused were connected to the BJP IT cell. It is alleged that Kunal Pandey holds the position of metropolitan coordinator in the BJP IT cell in Varanasi, while Saksham Patel is said to serve as the Varanasi metropolitan co-convenor in the IT cell. Numerous social media users have shared screenshots of the Facebook profiles of the arrested individuals, alleging links with the BJP IT cell.
