Kolkata : Even before the nationwide outrage over the rape and murder of a woman doctor at RG Kar Medical College could subside, another horrific incident has surfaced in West Bengal. A second-year medical student from Odisha studying in a private medical college in Durgapur, West Burdwan district, was allegedly gang-raped by five men late on Friday night.
According to police sources, the survivor had gone for a walk with her male friend outside the college campus on Friday evening. The duo was walking along Mohun Bagan Avenue, near Durgapur Government College, when a group of men allegedly dragged the woman into a wooded area and took turns raping her. The woman’s family members claimed that her male companion fled the spot during the assault. Later, he reportedly returned and helped take the unconscious student to a nearby private hospital.
The family has accused five unidentified men of committing the heinous act. The victim, currently undergoing treatment, told police that the attackers were strangers. The incident has sparked shock and outrage across Durgapur, a major educational hub with several private medical, nursing, engineering, and management institutions that attract students from across India. Locals say this is the first time such a brutal incident has occurred in the city.
The Mohun Bagan Avenue area, under the jurisdiction of the New Township Police Station, is surrounded by dense vegetation and is usually deserted at night. Police have registered a case and begun investigations. They are also probing the role of the male friend, questioning why he took the woman to such an isolated location late at night.
Police have launched a manhunt to identify and nab the culprits based on available CCTV footage and witness accounts.
News of the gang rape spread rapidly across the state, triggering widespread outrage. BJP leaders and workers staged a protest outside the New Township Police Station, demanding the immediate arrest of the accused. Meanwhile, CPI(M) leaders and activists visited the private medical college and met with the administration and students, condemning the incident and accusing the Trinamool Congress government of failing to protect women in the state.
This latest case, coming so soon after the RG Kar Medical College tragedy, has intensified criticism of the Mamata Banerjee-led government’s handling of women’s safety in West Bengal.
