Kolkata, July 8 (IANS) A trial court in Kolkata, on Tuesday, remanded the three prime accused in the case of Kasba rape to judicial custody till July 22.

The accused are Monojit Mishra, Jaib Ahmed, and Pramit Mukhopadhyay, while the court also remanded the fourth accused in the case, Pinaki Banerjee, a security guard attached to the same college to judicial custody till July 22.

Already, questions have been raised as to why Banerjee has been shown as the accused in the case, especially when the victim herself has described him as the “sole helpless witness” in the case in the police complaint registered by her immediately after the sexual assault on her on the evening of June 25.

All four of them were presented at the trial court on Tuesday at the end of their previous terms for police custody. The counsels of Mishra, Mukhopadhyay, and Ahmed did not move bail petitions on behalf of their clients.

However, the counsel of Banerjee moved the bail petition on behalf of his client which was rejected by the judge of the court.

The public prosecutor also did not press for an extension of the police custody for the four accused, However, he told the court, that in future for the sake of fresh investigation, a fresh police custody for the accused might be sought.

On Tuesday, the counsel for Mishra complained to the court that he was not being allowed by the investigating officials in the matter to meet his client. He also accused the police of forcefully taking the signature of his client on a white paper.

The matter is now being investigated by the Detective Department of Kolkata Police. On Tuesday, the fact-finding team of BJP in the matter submitted its report to the party’s national president J.P. Nadda.

In the report, the fact-finding team expressed doubts over the nature of the police investigation in the matter since in the initial FIR in the matter the three accused persons were referred to by their initials and not by their full names.

–IANS

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