'Mamata Banerjee Like Mother To Me': Durgapur Rape Survivor's Father Apologises After 'Aurangzeb' Remark, Seeks Justice From CM

The father of the 23-year-old medical student and rape survivor in Durgapur, West Bengal on Wednesday apologised to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee after previously comparing her rule to that of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.

He also called Banerjee a “mother‑like figure" and imploring her to “forgive him" and help secure justice for his daughter.

"Mamata Banerjee is like a mother-like figure to me. If I have said anything wrong, I ask her to forgive me. I will render countless obeisances at her feet. But I ask her to help my daughter get justice," the victim's father was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

His statement comes two days after he had sharply criticised the CM’s earlier comments, in which she suggested that “women should not venture out at night."

"It seems Bengal is under the rule of Aurangzeb. I want to take my daughter back to Odisha. Her life comes first, career later," he had said on Monday.

Meanwhile, the Calcutta High Court on Tuesday barred the entry of outsiders within the premises of the private medical college & hospital at Durgapur in West Bengal's West Burdwan district.

Police Rules Out  Possibility Of Gangrape

West Bengal Police on Tuesday, claimed that no gangrape took place in the Durgapur case and arrested the survivor’s male classmate the same evening.

Background Of The Case

The 23-year-old medical student from Odisha had alleged that she was gangraped near her college campus on October 10. Investigators now believe only one person was involved, contradicting earlier reports that five men assaulted her.

The second-year medical student was allegedly assaulted outside the campus of a private medical college in Durgapur, in a forested area where she had gone with a male friend for dinner. The incident reportedly took place around 8:00 pm, sparking outrage across West Bengal and Odisha.