Kolkata: A woman, in her early 30s, has alleged that she was repeatedly gang-raped after being sedated with sleeping pills at a de-addiction centre in the Daripukur area under Dattapukur PS in Barasat, North 24-Parganas. The allegations have led to the arrest of the owner of the rehabilitation centre on Tuesday, while police are searching for his alleged associate.According to the complaint, the woman’s family had admitted her to the rehabilitation centre to help her overcome drug addiction. However, instead of receiving treatment, she alleged that the centre’s owner, Sandipan Majumdar, along with his associate, repeatedly sexually assaulted her after administering sleeping pills over an extended period.The survivor later lodged a written complaint with Dattapukur police. ṭPolice arrested Sandipan Majumdar and produced him before the Barasat court on Tuesday. The court remanded him to five days’ police custody.The woman has also alleged that several other male and female inmates at the rehabilitation centre were subjected to physical abuse, mental harassment and other forms of ill-treatment.Police have launched a detailed investigation into the allegations and are searching for the remaining accused. The allegations have sent shockwaves through the local community.“The survivor has lodged a complaint against Sandipan Majumdar, the owner of the de-addiction centre, and one of his associates, Ajay Sardar. She has alleged that for nearly seven to eight months, they repeatedly gang-raped her after administering sleeping pills to her under the pretext of treatment.As the accused Majumdar is allegedly financially and politically influential in the area, similar incidents in the past reportedly went unpunished, allowing him to evade accountability,” said Gaurav Mukherjee, an advocate at the Barasat Court.“We will provide the survivor with every possible legal assistance to ensure the accused receive appropriate punishment. At the same time, to prevent such incidents from recurring, we urge the police administration to conduct regular inspections and maintain strict oversight of such de-addiction centres,” the victim’s lawyer added.
