A 23-year-old second-year MBBS student from Odisha's Jaleswar town has been allegedly gang raped little outside her college at Durgapur in West Bengal. She is pursuing medical degree at IQ City Medical College Hospital near Shobhapur, was allegedly gang-raped by a group of unidentified assailants late on Friday evening, sending shockwaves through student communities and women's rights groups.
The ordeal unfolded around 8:30 PM on October 10, as the victim stepped out of the campus with a male classmate for a casual dinner stroll, close to their private college. According to preliminary accounts from her family and friends, the pair was ambushed by five men lurking in the shadows of the New Township area. The attackers first, allegedly, overpowered the friend, before dragging the terrified student into a nearby wooded patch, where she was allegedly raped in turns.
What followed was a nightmarish 90-minute assault, where the perpetrators took turns violating her, according to the complaint lodged with the police. In a brazen act of extortion, the father of the survivor alleged that the assaulters snatched his daughter’s mobile phone post-attack and demanded a ransom for its return, further compounding her trauma. The friend, recovering from his injuries, managed to alert campus contacts, who rushed to the scene. The victim was discovered in a disoriented state and immediately ferried to a local hospital, where she remains under intensive care for physical and psychological wounds.
By Saturday morning, the victim's parents, hailing from rural Jaleswar in Balasore district, had reached Durgapur. Visibly shattered, the mother recounted to reporters outside the New Township police station: "My daughter called us in hysterics. These monsters ruined her dreams." The family lodged a formal FIR under relevant sections of BNS, including gang rape and robbery.
Authorities have detained the victim's friend for questioning, amid unconfirmed whispers of possible acquaintance with the attackers. A forensic team combed the site, collecting vital evidence like DNA samples and CCTV footage from nearby eateries. Police assured the public: "We are deploying additional patrols around educational hubs and urging witnesses to come forward. The culprits will be nabbed soon."
The incident has reignited simmering anger over women's safety in West Bengal's educational corridors. Students from IQ City and nearby colleges staged a defiant protest march Saturday afternoon, blocking key roads with placards reading "No More RG Kar Repeat" and "Justice or Bust." The National Commission for Women (NCW) dispatched a fact-finding team, alleging "systemic lapses in campus security"
In a pointed political riposte, West Bengal's Minister for Women and Child Development, Dr Shashi Panja, issued a stern statement: "This heinous crime wounds the soul of our state. We stand resolutely with the survivor, ensuring she gets every medical, legal, and emotional support. The Aparajita Anti-Rape Bill, born from RG Kar's ashes, demands ironclad enforcement, no delays, no excuses. Perpetrators will face the full wrath of justice." Panja assured. She also confirmed that the survivor is stable and under medical supervision, given psychological counselling. "The parents have expressed faith in the police investigation. Such crimes should not be politicised. Unfortunately, the BJP always views such incidents through a political lens," she added.
In July, a law student was allegedly gang-raped on the premises of the South Calcutta Law College in Kolkata's Kasba area. A former student with alleged political links, two students and a security guard were arrested, police have also filed the chargesheet, trial is pending.
In August last year, a 31-year-old post-graduate trainee doctor at state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata was raped and murdered, leading to wide scale protests in the state and across the country. A civic police volunteer, Sanjay Roy, was arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment. But the incident has stoked debates over safety of students inside campuses.
