Medical Student Assaulted on Hospital Grounds in West Bengal
A horrific incident in West Bengal's industrial city of Durgapur has once again cast a harsh spotlight on the issue of women's safety, particularly within the confines of educational and medical institutions. A second-year student at a private medical college was allegedly dragged to a secluded area on the hospital's premises and brutally raped on Friday evening. The assault has drawn alarming and immediate parallels to the high-profile rape and murder of a junior doctor at Kolkata's R.G. Kar Medical College in 2024, an event that triggered nationwide protests and demands for better security at workplaces.
The survivor, a young woman from Jaleswar in Odisha who is pursuing her medical degree, was immediately admitted to a hospital for a medical examination following the incident. Police have launched a full-scale investigation into the assault, which has sent shockwaves through the local community and raised urgent questions about the security protocols in place at the institution. The incident adds to a growing list of violent crimes against women in the state, placing the government under renewed pressure to address the pervasive safety concerns.
Terrifying Ordeal
According to initial reports, the shocking event unfolded at approximately 8:30 p.m. on Friday. The student had reportedly stepped just outside the campus gate with a male friend when she was accosted. She was then allegedly dragged by an assailant to an isolated spot behind the main hospital building, where the sexual assault took place. Police were informed and arrived at the scene shortly after, beginning an investigation that involves questioning staff from the medical college and other individuals, including the friend who was with the survivor at the time of the attack.
The student's father, who rushed to Durgapur upon receiving the devastating news from his daughter's friend, has leveled serious allegations against the hospital administration. He claimed that when he arrived, his daughter was in a critical condition and that the hospital authorities were initially unresponsive. He provided a harrowing account, stating that his daughter had gone out to meet her boyfriend after he called her. He alleged that a group of four to five individuals were present at the gate, and that one of them committed the assault, stole her mobile phone, and then brazenly demanded a payment of Rs 3,000 for its return.
Echoes of a Past Tragedy and a Call for Justice
The father's anguish was palpable as he spoke to reporters, questioning the very security of the campus where he had enrolled his daughter with the dream of her becoming a doctor. "I want justice for my daughter so that such incidents do not happen to any other girl," he stated, adding, "There is no proper security on the campus." His allegations of negligence and inadequate safety measures are now a central focus of the investigation, as police work to piece together the exact sequence of events.
This incident is not an isolated one in the state's recent history. It has immediately and chillingly revived public memory of the 2024 R.G. Kar case, where a young doctor's brutal murder inside a hospital campus exposed systemic security failures. Just last year, another case involving the alleged gangrape of a law student on her college campus in Kolkata also sparked widespread outrage. This latest assault in Durgapur fits into a deeply troubling pattern of violence that has left women, particularly students and young professionals, feeling vulnerable in the very spaces where they should be safest.
Incident at a Glance
A second-year medical student was allegedly dragged and raped on the premises of her private medical college in Durgapur, West Bengal.
The survivor's father has made serious allegations of inadequate campus security and an unresponsive hospital administration.
The incident has drawn chilling parallels to the 2024 rape and murder of a junior doctor at R.G. Kar Medical College, which led to nationwide protests.
Police have launched an investigation and are questioning multiple individuals, but have not yet issued an official statement.
Image Source: Hindustan times
