Two women from Dimapur went to the JW Marriott on EM Bypass after the India-Brazil match at Salt Lake Stadium. Brazil had won 4-0. They wanted to see the Brazilian players return. A crowd of supporters was already in the lobby.
Between 12.30 am and 1 am, according to the complaint, an unidentified man touched them inappropriately. One of the women later went to Pragati Maidan police station and lodged a written complaint.
Police checked the hotel CCTV. They tracked the man’s movements inside the property. The complainant identified him from the footage. Officers then found him in a room in the same hotel and arrested him.
The accused has been identified as Palash Ray, 56, son of the late Pranab Kumar Roy, a resident of Lotus Boulevard, Sector 100, Noida. A case has been registered under Section 74 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which deals with assault or criminal force against a woman with intent to outrage her modesty.
Ray has denied the allegations. He claimed any contact was accidental and not deliberate. Police are examining the purpose of his visit to Kolkata and whether he had come only for the match. Statements of both women are to be recorded before a judicial magistrate. Hotel staff and other witnesses will also be questioned.“CCTV footage of the hotel is being examined. Appropriate action will be taken after investigating the entire matter,” Kolkata Police Additional Commissioner (Detective Department) Kunal Agarwal said.
The Brazilian squad was staying at the hotel for the October 3 friendly. The lobby was crowded after the match. The investigation is continuing.
The same hotel had already drawn police attention. On 27 September a man was arrested following allegations involving a woman at a late-night party inside the property. Police are treating that case as separate from the latest complaint.
