A second-year medical student at a private medical college in Durgapur, West Bengal, was allegedly gang-raped on Friday night while she was out for a snack with a friend. The incident occurred around 8:30 p.m. near the college campus.
According to police sources, the survivor and her friend were approached by a group of young men who began stalking them and making lewd comments. The men chased away the survivor’s male friend and dragged her to a secluded area behind the hospital where they allegedly gang-raped her. The perpetrators also snatched her mobile phone and threw it away.
The male friend returned with some more people from the hostel and found the grievously injured student on the ground. She was admitted to a local hospital for medical examination.
Acting on a complaint lodged by the college, the Durgapur New Township police have started an investigation, though they are yet to identify or arrest any of the culprits at the time of filing this report.
The parents of the survivor, who are from outside Bengal, reached Durgapur on Friday morning. The survivor’s father expressed concerns about the safety of his daughter, stating that once she recovers, they will take her home.
This latest crime against a medical student has revived memories of recent sexual attacks on working women and girl students in the state. Last year in August, a post-graduate trainee at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital was raped and murdered inside the hospital premises. In June this year, a law student at a college in south Calcutta was gang-raped by an ex-student, who also was an ad hoc employee in the same college, along with two other students. The prime accused in the case was also a former leader of the ruling Trinamool’s students’ wing. Another management student was raped inside a men’s hostel in the prestigious Indian Institute of Management in Joka a couple of months ago.
The incident has sparked outrage and protests from students and activists, demanding justice for the survivor and stricter measures to ensure the safety of women in educational institutions.