Woman alleges assault at Kolkata nightclub, Park Street gang-rape link suspected: What did police say

A woman alleged a group of men molested and assaulted her at a nightclub inside a five-star hotel in Kolkata, police said on Tuesday.

"No person has been arrested in connection with the alleged incident," police were quoted by news agency PTI as saying.

The incident reportedly took place on the night of 26 October. The complainant was with her husband, brother, and friends when a brawl broke out at the nightclub of the five-star hotel on Sunday night, the police said.

According to the complaint filed at the Bidhannagar South Police Station, a group of men began arguing with her group before turning violent, India Today reported.

The alleged incident led to a confrontation at around 4.15 am and lasted about an hour and a half inside the nightclub.

'Attacked us with bottles, family forced to hide'

"They attacked us with bottles and tried to touch me inappropriately," the woman said in her complaint, a police officer said.

The complainant has also alleged that her family members were forced to hide inside the club's liquor room. She said when her brother tried to intervene, the group threw glass bottles at him.

As she and her companions attempted to escape, the assailants allegedly called nearly 20 additional people who joined in the attack, the report claimed.

She further claimed that although she dialled the emergency police number 100 for help, some people had blocked the club doors, forcing her family to hide inside the club's liquor room.

Bidhannagar Police Commissioner Mukesh Kumar told India Today, "We immediately lodged an FIR soon after getting the complaint from the victim lady."

"During the investigation, our team gathered CCTV footage from the club, which is being examined. The statement of the victim has also been recorded. Investigation is underway; we are probing every aspect with priority," Kumar was quoted as saying.

FIR names 'Park Street gang-rape convict'

The police have registered an FIR under sections 126(2), 115(2), 117(2), 351(2), 3(5), and 74 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

According to PTI, the police said a businessman identified as Naser Khan and his nephew Junaid Khan were named in the FIR among other accused.

Naser Khan had earlier served a prison term in connection with the 2012 Park Street gang rape case. He was released in 2020, the report claimed.

However, police said they have yet to confirm whether he is the same person convicted in the Park Street gang rape case.

Denying his involvement, Khan reportedly claimed that he was not present during the incident.

Park Street gang rape case | A recap

Suzette Jordan, 37, was gang-raped on the night of 5 February 2012 by five men who had offered to drop her home from a nightclub at Kolkata's posh Park Street.

She filed her complaint with the police a few days later, but Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee dismissed it as a sajano ghatana, or a fabricated case.

In 2015, a sessions court sentenced Ruman Khan (32), Sumit Bajaj (34), and Naser Khan (32) – three men convicted in the 2012 Park Street gang rape case – to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment.

The court also ordered each of them to pay a fine of ₹1 lakh after the prosecution did not seek life imprisonment for them, as is typically done in such cases.

Two other men accused in the case, Kader Khan and Mohammed Ali, were arrested in 2016.

(With inputs from reports and agencies)