Park Street rape case: Charges framed against three accused

Kolkata: A fast-track court on Tuesday framed charges of gang-rape and criminal conspiracy against three people arrested in the politically controversial Park Street rape case, in which a woman was allegedly raped in 2012.

"The court today (Tuesday) framed the charges of gang-rape, criminal conspiracy and criminal intimidation against three of the accused namely Ruman Khan alias Tussie, Nasser Khan and Sumit Bajaj," said Anirban Guha Thakurta, counsel of the victim. Two people are yet to be arrested.

The victim, a 37-year-old single mother was allegedly gang-raped inside a moving car during the intervening night between February 5 and February 6, 2012.

The police in the chargesheet submitted in May 2012 named five people, including Kader Khan as the prime accused. Khan and another accused Ali Khan are at large and yet to be arrested.

The trio of Ruman, Nasser and Bajaj were arrested February 18, 2012.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee courted controversy after she dubbed the allegation as "cooked-up to malign her government".

But the police led by then Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Damayanti Sen cracked the case and apprehended three of the accused. Sen was later transferred out of the city police.

The Supreme Court earlier this year had denied bail to Bajaj and Nasser when they approached the Supreme Court seeking the relief.

The trial in the case will begin March 2.

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