Kolkata: The law student, who went through three hours of torture and sexual abuse on the college campus in south Kolkata on June 25, appeared for her first-semester law examination on Wednesday.
Her family has been supporting her since the incident occurred so that she could appear for the exam. Her father told TOI, "We come from a family deeply involved in education. Over the past few days, we continuously encouraged her to take the exam, and finally, she gathered enough courage to appear for it. I kept telling her to focus on her studies because education is something that no one can take away from her. We will fight this battle until the end, but if she doesn't take the exam today, this opportunity won't come back, as she would have to appear for a supplementary test later.
"She last visited her college on June 25 to submit her examination form for the first-semester exams, and the incident occurred that same evening. The following day, she filed a written complaint against Monojit Mishra, Zaib Ahmed, and Pramit Mukherjee. All three suspects were arrested the next day, and the legal proceedings continued since then.
Her father took it upon himself to shield her from all public discussions and consistently encouraged her to overcome the trauma from this horrific incident.
While other students in her batch were preparing for their exams, the survivor was fighting for justice and trying to return to a normal life. Initially, after the shock, she told her parents she wouldn't be able to take the exam, but her father didn't give up hope. He counselled her, saying that education was the only way to fight any battle, and motivated her to focus on her studies and prepare for the exam. "It wasn't easy for her to prepare amid all these difficulties, but she studied and took the exam anyway. I told her not to expect anything but just to sit for the exam. Given the limited preparation time, she did her best," he said.
TOI reported on Wednesday that the survivor collected her admit card, though she didn't go physically to collect it. Calcutta University made separate arrangements for the girl so that she could write her paper comfortably and with an adequate sense of security. Her other friends appeared at the department of law, Hazra, while she appeared at a separate exam centre.
TOI visited the examination centre and found tight police security along with separate arrangements made for the survivor. Students from another law college in south Kolkata also took their exams at the same centre but in different rooms. To maintain confidentiality, her name and roll number were not displayed on the notice board like other students.
There was tight police security at the Hazra law college as the law students of the college, along with another law college, appeared for the exam there. Examinees were being checked at the entry gate, and none were allowed to enter the campus before 1.30 pm as the exam started at 2 pm. A student of the law college where the rape incident occurred said, "I became very upset after getting this news, but today I'm feeling very positive after seeing her appearing for the exam along with my friends. I want her to come out of this trauma and get a good score.
"West Bengal Commission for Women's chairperson Leena Gangopadhyay, who tried to inspire the girl to carry on her studies and appear for the exam, felt it was an answer to the rapists, and she set an example for other survivors.