“There was no complaint lodged with the police before February 6. While lodging complaint, the woman did not give any statement to the police corroborating her statement before the magistrate. We added the IPC sections that deal with gangrape and attempt to murder charges after she gave a statement before the magistrate. We will investigate her statement and take lawful action against the culprit whosoever he is,” said Director General of Police, Rajeev Kumar.

The two stringent provisions of the IPC was slapped against Shahjahan’s two associates, Uttam Sardar, the local panchayat Pradhan, and TMC’s block president Shibaprasad Hazra.

In a dramatic move by the police, Hazra, who has been absconding, was arrested from adjoining Nazat in Basirhat hours after news of inclusion of two grave IPC sections came to light. Sardar was arrested earlier, shortly after he was suspended for six years from the party, and remanded to police custody for eight days.

Asked about the allegation of women in Sandeshkhali, accusing the local police of turning blind whenever they went to lodge a complaint against Sardar and Hazra, Kumar said, “If a law-keeper is found guilty, action will be taken against him or her.”