A student from Odisha, who is studying at a private medical college in West Bengal’s Paschim Bardhaman district, was allegedly gang raped by three men, an incident that prompted the opposition to sharply criticize the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC government over the state’s law and order situation.
The police have meanwhile initiated an investigation following the filing of a First Information Report (FIR) by the victim’s parents. However, no arrests have been made till the time of filling the report.
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has urged his West Bengal counterpart, Mamata Banerjee, to take swift action against the perpetrators of the crime.
Officials in Bhubaneswar said that a team of police and administrative officers from Odisha would travel to Durgapur to provide support to the victim’s family.
The survivor, who is from Jaleswar in Odisha’s Balasore district, is undergoing treatment at the college hospital and has given her statement to the police, an officer said.
The BJP units in both Odisha and West Bengal demanded the immediate arrest of the culprits, while the Trinamool Congress (TMC) said that such crimes should not be “politicised” and simultaneously accused the Central government of delaying the clearance of the ‘Aparajita’ Bill, which aims to impose stricter penalties for sexual violence.
The Durgapur gang rape occurred 14 months after a similar high-profile case involving the rape and murder of a medic at the RG Kar hospital.
A police officer stated that the incident happened outside the private medical college campus in Durgapur on Friday night when the second-year student had gone out with a friend to get some food.
“On the basis of a complaint lodged by her family members, we have started an investigation. We have interrogated her friend who had accompanied her off the college campus,” he said.
DC (East) of Durgapur Commissionerate, Abhishek Gupta, said, “The matter is sensitive. The investigation is being conducted with all aspects in mind.”
A senior police officer said that the victim’s statement claims three persons were involved. “We have recorded the statement of the victim in the hospital. Some locals have identified the accused,” he said, adding that raids were currently being conducted in the locality to apprehend them.
The student’s parents stated that they reached Durgapur on Saturday morning after being contacted by their daughter’s friends.
Her mother alleged that her daughter was gang-raped around 10 pm when she stepped out of the college campus with one of her friends for dinner.
“We came here this morning and lodged a complaint with the police. I have heard that the college performed well academically, and this is why we sent our daughter to study medicine here,” her father said.
The officer of the New Township Police Station in Durgapur said an initial probe revealed the student left the campus with her friend around 8-8.30 pm.
“The friend left her alone when three unidentified men arrived there. They snatched her phone, took her to a jungle, and raped her. She was threatened with dire consequences if she told anyone about the incident,” the officer said.
“We are trying to find out CCTV footage. A forensic team will visit the spot to collect evidence,” the officer said.
A senior district official also met with the victim and her parents, providing assurance of all necessary assistance.
A National Commission for Women team met the victim and her parents.
“Crime against women is on the rise in Bengal. The police are not taking any proactive steps in such cases. I will request the CM to come forward and work in tandem to arrest the rise of such crimes,” NCW member Archana Majumdar said.
The state health department on Saturday sought a report from the private medical college in Durgapur, a senior official said.
Taking to X, the Odisha CM said, “The unfortunate incident of gang rape involving an Odia student in Durgapur, West Bengal, is highly condemnable and painful. I am deeply shocked upon hearing this news. In this sensitive matter, I strongly urge the Honorable Chief Minister of West Bengal, @MamataOfficial, to take exemplary action against the accused as per the law.”
Odisha BJP vice president Birinchi Narayan Tripathi warned that if the TMC government failed to arrest the culprits at the earliest, the party unit in Bengal would launch street protests.
Bengal BJP activists started a sit-in protest outside the New Township Police Station, demanding the immediate arrest of the criminals.
Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari alleged a complete collapse of law and order under the leadership of Mamata Banerjee, who also holds the police portfolio.
“Since last year’s incident at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, where an on-duty doctor was gang-raped, there have been several incidents where women were tortured,” Adhikari said.
The BJP’s IT department in-charge Amit Malviya posted on X: “Another horrific case of sexual violence has surfaced in West Bengal. A student from IQ Medical College in Durgapur has been gang-raped. Her statement has been recorded, she is under medical care, and a complaint has been filed against Wasif Ali and his associates.”
TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee said heinous crimes like rape warrant the harshest condemnation and toughest laws.
“Yet the @narendramodi Govt has chosen delay over duty. More than a year since the Aparajita Anti-Rape Bill was proposed, the @BJP4India at the Centre has done nothing to convert words into law. This is a political choice with deadly consequences,” Banerjee posted on X.
Women and Child Development Minister Sashi Panja called the incident “deeply unfortunate” and said politicising crimes against women is not desirable.
