Thu Jul 24 18:02:43 UTC 2025: **NEWS ARTICLE**
**Rape Allegations Rock Kolkata Amidst Rising Concerns for Women’s Safety**
**Kolkata, July 24, 2025** – Kolkata is grappling with a surge in reported rape cases, sparking widespread outrage and renewed focus on women’s safety in the city. A recent allegation of rape against an army jawan in the Park Street area has further ignited public anger, adding to the tension already present following two other rape cases in the past month.
According to the complaint filed with the Park Street police, the survivor alleges that the accused, identified as Manibur Rahman, promised to help secure the release of her husband from jail in exchange for sexual favors. The complainant stated that Rahman repeatedly raped her over several days, leveraging his promise of assistance. Rahman, a native of Birbhum district in West Bengal, was arrested at the Watgunge Police Station and produced in court on Thursday. He has been remanded in police custody until August 4. Authorities are investigating the claims that Rahman threatened to release nude photos of the survivor.
The police have recorded the survivor’s statement, and she has undergone medical tests as part of the ongoing investigation.
This incident is compounded by the ongoing investigations into two other rape cases from South Calcutta Law College and the Indian Institute of Management–Calcutta. This string of incidents has raised serious questions regarding the safety and security of women in Kolkata.
In a related development, the Calcutta High Court on Wednesday reduced the death sentence of two convicts, Fagun Mandi and Rabindra Routh, in the 2021 gangrape and murder of a five-year-old girl. A Jhargram sessions court had previously sentenced the men to death in 2023 under the POCSO Act. However, the High Court commuted the sentence to life imprisonment without the possibility of remission for 60 years, citing the socio-economic background of the convicts. The tragic case involved the disappearance and subsequent discovery of the girl’s body buried in a paddy field.
These events have intensified the debate on the effectiveness of existing laws and measures to protect women and children in the region. Public protests are expected to continue as citizens demand accountability and concrete action to address the rising concerns about safety.
First Piper 