The 24-year-old law student who was allegedly gang-raped at South Calcutta Law College had to overcome deep-seated fears about social stigma before she could file a police complaint against her attackers, the West Bengal Commission for Women said on Saturday.

The woman told commission members that she “had to fight a battle within herself” to overcome social taboo and embarrassment before reporting the June 25 incident, said Leena Gangopadhyay, the commission’s chairperson.

A team from the women’s commission visited the student on Saturday afternoon and spent about an hour speaking with her.

“She wants the accused to be punished,” Gangopadhyay said. “She could not file the complaint that particular night because of her inner conflicts, but did so the next day after overcoming them.”

According to the police complaint, the woman was tortured for over three hours between 7.30pm and 10.50pm on Wednesday at the Kasba campus. Three men, one former student and two current students of the college, were arrested on Thursday evening and early on Friday. The security guard whose room was used to commit the heinous crime was arrested on Friday night.

“She said that she was threatened and was both scared and traumatised. But she was ultimately able to overcome that,” Gangopadhyay explained. The woman also experienced significant physical discomfort from the assault.

“She was able to break out of that. Not everyone has the kind of mental strength that she has. She has the support of her parents,” the chairperson added.

During Saturday’s visit, the woman appeared traumatised and broke down while recounting the torture she endured, a commission official said. Gangopadhyay was accompanied by a counsellor, a commission member, and a media consultant.

“She told us that she wants justice,” Gangopadhyay said. “We counselled her that she should not compromise at any point and remain brave till the very end. We told her that while she has gone through physical pain, she has to be brave enough to ensure the incident doesn’t injure her soul.”

The commission provided the woman with contact numbers for ongoing support. So far, she has expressed satisfaction with the administration’s cooperation and has no grievances about the handling of her case, though she emphasised her desire for justice.

The commission also met with the investigating officer on Saturday to ensure proper procedures were being
followed.

“We wanted to know whether the crime scene has been cordoned off and other investigations are being carried out properly,” Gangopadhyay said. The woman confirmed that authorities have been cooperative throughout the process.