Medical student dragged, raped on hospital premises in Bengal

Reminiscent of the 2024 RG Kar case, in which a junior physician was raped and killed, a second-year student at a private medical college was allegedly pulled and raped inside a West Bengal hospital.

The survivor, who is from Jaleswar, Odisha, is a student at a private medical college in Durgapur, the largest industrial center in West Bengal, 170 kilometers from the capital Kolkata, near Shobhapur, where she is pursuing her MBBS degree. According to sources, the student and a male companion left the school on Friday about 7:30 p.m. A man is accused of dragging her to a remote location behind the hospital and raping her close to the campus entrance.

Police hurried to the scene and began an investigation as soon as they learned about the occurrence. The survivor was sent to a hospital for a check-up. Additionally, police have started interviewing medical college employees as well as other people, including the woman’s companion.

The medical student’s father told reporters that he was informed of the incident by his daughter’s friend. “When I reached there, my daughter was in a serious condition, and there was no response from the hospital administration,” he alleged.

He further said that his daughter had gone outside the campus to eat ‘phuchka‘ (golgappas) after one Wasif Ali, her boyfriend, had called her to meet him.

“When she reached the campus gate, around four to five persons were there. One of them raped her, took her mobile phone, and demanded Rs 3,000 to return it. Later, the boy who had gone with her brought her back,” he said.

The anguished father said he had got her enrolled in the college with the dream of making her a doctor. “I want justice for my daughter so that such incidents do not happen to any other girl. There is no proper security on the campus,” he further alleged.

Police have not yet released an official comment regarding the case, though. Investigators are looking into the events from a variety of perspectives, according to sources.

The event occurs when the opposition has been criticizing the incumbent Trinamool administration, led by Mamata Banerjee, for a number of rape cases and crimes against women.

After a law student was allegedly gangraped on the South Calcutta Law College campus in Kasba in July, the administration faced intense criticism. The incident caused indignation throughout the city. It took place over a year after a 26-year-old postgraduate student was raped and killed within the renowned RG Kar Medical College in Kolkata. The nature of her injuries, which indicated brutality, sent shock waves across West Bengal and beyond, triggering weeks of nationwide protests by healthcare personnel demanding safety at workplaces.