Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Oct 11: A second year medical student from Odisha studying in a private college in Durgapur in West Bengal was allegedly gang raped by some unidentified men just outside the college campus when accompanied by a male companion she had gone out for dinner on Friday night, the police said on Saturday.
Officials said the student, who is from Jaleswar in Odisha and studies at the IQ City Medical College in Durgapur’s Shivapur area, had gone out with a male friend when some men accosted them near the gate of the college around 8.30 pm on Friday, took the woman to a wooded area, and raped her. The 23-year-old’s father said her friend fled when the rapists accosted them at the college campus gate and the family suspect he was also involved.
In the police complaint, the survivor’s father said her friend “misled her and took her to a vacant place under false pretexts.” He said the attackers also snatched his daughter’s mobile phone and took Rs 5,000 from her. The student was then admitted to a hospital in Durgapur, where her condition is said to be critical.
Officials said on Saturday that they have started an investigation and have begun questioning several people, including the survivor’s friend. The statement of the survivor has also been recorded. “On the basis of a complaint lodged by the family members of the medical student, we have started an investigation,” he said.
Talking to reporters, the parents of the student said they reached Durgapur this morning after getting a call from friends of their daughter. The mother said her daughter was gang-raped around 10 p.m. on Friday. “We came here this morning and lodged a complaint with the police. I have heard that the college performed well academically, and this is why we sent our daughter to study medicine here,” the student’s father said.
An initial probe revealed that the student went outside the campus with her friend between 8-8.30 p.m. on Friday, the police officer said. “The friend left her alone when three unidentified men arrived there. The men snatched her phone and took her to a jungle outside the campus, where they raped her. She was threatened with dire consequences if she told anyone about the incident,” the officer said.
The accused also demanded money from the medic to return her mobile phone, he said. The statement of the student has been recorded, the officer said. “We spoke to the victim’s friend last night. We are trying to find out some CCTV footage. A forensic team will visit the spot to collect evidence,” the officer said.
A team of the National Commission for Women (NCW) is heading towards Durgapur to meet the victim and her parents. “Crime against women is on the rise in Bengal. The police are not taking any proactive steps in such cases. This is quite unfortunate. I will request the chief minister to come forward and work in tandem to arrest the rise of such crimes,” NCW member Archana Majumdar said.
Officials said on Saturday that they have started an investigation and have begun questioning several people, including the survivor’s friend. The statement of the survivor has also been recorded. The state health department on Saturday sought a report from the private medical college in Durgapur, a senior official said. “We have sought a quick report from the college authorities in this connection. Accordingly, we will take steps,” he added.
West Bengal Minister for Women and Child Development and Trinamool Congress leader Shashi Panja said the student is undergoing medical treatment and would be given psychological counselling as well. “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 said after the local unit of the BJP staged a protest in Durgapur.
The Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal has been facing flak over the safety of women in the state, especially after two rape cases on college campuses in Kolkata. 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.
In August last year, the rape and murder of a 31-year-old post-graduate trainee doctor at state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata led to sustained protests in the state and across the country. A civic police volunteer, Sanjay Roy, was arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment.
