The West Bengal police have arrested three men in connection to the gang-rape case of a medical student near a private hospital in Durgapur, police sources said. Two other accused are still on the run.
The incident involves a second-year MBBS student of a private medical college near Shobhapur in Durgapur, approximately 170 km from Kolkata. The survivor, a native of Jaleswar in Odisha, was raped late Friday evening in an area behind the hospital building.
According to sources, the student had stepped out of the campus around 8:30 pm with a male friend. Near the campus gate, an individual allegedly dragged her to a secluded spot behind the hospital and raped her.
Upon being alerted, local police rushed to the location and initiated an investigation. The student was admitted to a hospital for medical examination and is currently under medical supervision.
The case has drawn comparisons to the 2024 RG Kar Medical College tragedy, where a junior doctor was raped and murdered, prompting widespread protests across the state.
Police have detained and are interrogating several individuals, including staff members of the medical college and the male friend who had accompanied the student. Investigators are also reviewing CCTV footage and security arrangements on the campus.
The West Bengal Doctors' Front (WBDF) condemned the crime, calling it another “chilling reminder” that women remain unsafe even within educational institutions. The group demanded justice for the survivor and urged the Chief Justice of India to take cognisance of the matter and order a judicial inquiry.
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Manjhi also expressed deep anguish over the incident. “I have instructed senior officials to contact the West Bengal government and take necessary steps. All possible assistance will be provided to the victim’s family on behalf of the Odisha government,” he posted on X in Odia, while calling on West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee to take *“exemplary action”* against those responsible.
Meanwhile, the BJP launched a scathing political attack on the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government, accusing it of consistent failure to maintain law and order in the state.
“West Bengal is not safe for women. Until the TMC government is held accountable, women across the state will continue to live in fear. Mamata Banerjee must go in 2026,” BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya wrote on X.
Unfazed by the criticism, West Bengal Minister and TMC leader Shashi Panja hit back, accusing the BJP of politicising a sensitive issue. “Is there any place for politics here? What about the girls in Odisha who set themselves on fire? Where were these voices when Manipur burned or when gold medal-winning women protested at Jantar Mantar? Tell the BJP to shut down its shop in Bengal. The police have already begun the investigation,” Panja said.
Dimple Yadav, Samajwadi Party MP and INDIA bloc ally of the TMC, also joined the fray, pointing to rising crimes against women in BJP-ruled states. “These incidents are not confined to West Bengal. In Uttar Pradesh, heinous crimes against women have more than doubled in the last 10 years. Governments must take responsibility for this societal failure,” she told ANI.
