Medical student from Odisha 'gang-raped' in Bengal; oppn lashes out at TMC govt over law and order

Kolkata/Bhubaneswar, Oct 11 (PTI) A student from Odisha, studying at a private medical college in West Bengal's Paschim Bardhaman district, was raped allegedly by three men, prompting the opposition to slam the TMC government over law and order in the state.

The police launched an investigation after the victim's parents lodged an FIR, but no arrests had been made till the filing of this report.

Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi urged his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee to take swift action against the perpetrators of the crime.

A team of police and administrative officers from Odisha will visit Durgapur to provide support to the family members of the victim, officials said in Bhubaneswar.

The survivor, from Jaleswar in Odisha, is undergoing treatment at the college hospital and gave her statement to the police, an officer said.

The BJP of both Odisha and West Bengal demanded immediate arrest of the culprits, while the Trinamool Congress said such crimes should not be "politicised" and accused the Centre of delaying the clearing of the 'Aparajita' Bill that aims to introduce stricter penalties for sexual violence.

Durgapur gang rape happened 14 months after the RG Kar hospital rape and murder of a medic.

The incident occurred outside the private medical college campus in Durgapur on Friday night when the second-year student went out with a friend to fetch some food, a police officer said.

"On the basis of a complaint lodged by her family members, we have started an investigation. We have interrogated her friend who had accompanied her off the college campus," he said.

DC (East) of Durgapur Commissionerate, Abhishek Gupta, said, "The matter is sensitive. The investigation is being conducted with all aspects in mind." A senior police officer told PTI that the victim in her statement has claimed that three persons were involved.

"We have recorded the statement of the victim in the hospital. Some locals have identified the accused," he said, adding that raids were being conducted in the locality in search of them.

The parents of the student said they reached Durgapur this morning after getting a call from their daughter's friends.

Her mother alleged that her daughter was gang-raped around 10 pm when she went out of the college campus with one of her friends for dinner.

"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," her father said.

An initial probe revealed that the student went outside the campus with her friend around 8-8.30 pm, the officer of New Township Police Station in Durgapur said.

"The friend left her alone when three unidentified men arrived there. They snatched her phone, took her to a jungle, and raped her. She was threatened with dire consequences if she told anyone about the incident," the officer said.

"We are trying to find out CCTV footage. A forensic team will visit the spot to collect evidence," the officer said.

A senior district official also met the victim and her parents, and assured them of all assistance.

A National Commission for Women team met 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. I will request the CM to come forward and work in tandem to arrest the rise of such crimes," NCW member Archana Majumdar said.

The state health department on Saturday sought a report from the private medical college in Durgapur, a senior official said.

Taking to X, the Odisha CM said, “The unfortunate incident of gang rape involving an Odia student in Durgapur, West Bengal, is highly condemnable and painful. I am deeply shocked upon hearing this news. In this sensitive matter, I strongly urge the Honorable Chief Minister of West Bengal, @MamataOfficial, to take exemplary action against the accused as per the law”.

Odisha BJP vice president Birinchi Narayan Tripathi said if the TMC government failed to arrest the culprits as soon as possible, the party unit in Bengal would hit the streets.

Bengal BJP activists started a sit-in protest outside the New Township Police Station, demanding the immediate arrest of the criminals.

Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari alleged that the law and order has totally collapsed under Mamata Banerjee, who is also the police minister.

"Since last year's incident at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, where an on-duty doctor was gang-raped, there have been several incidents where women were tortured," Adhikari said.

The BJP's IT department in-charge Amit Malviya posted on X: "Another horrific case of sexual violence has surfaced in West Bengal. A student from IQ Medical College in Durgapur has been gang-raped. Her statement has been recorded, she is under medical care, and a complaint has been filed against Wasif Ali and his associates." TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee said heinous crimes like rape demand the harshest condemnation and the toughest laws.

“Yet the @narendramodi Govt has chosen delay over duty. More than a year since the Aparajita Anti-Rape Bill was proposed, the @BJP4India at the Centre has done nothing to convert words into law. This is a political choice with deadly consequences," Banerjee posted on X.

Women and Child Development Minister Sashi Panja called the incident "deeply unfortunate" and said politicising crimes against women is not desirable. PTI SCH BDC SUS AAM SCH NN