Crime against women in eastern state is a serious issue; it should not be exploited by Opposition
West Bengal has been rocked by a gangrape of student of a private medical college located in its Paschim Bardhaman district. The student of medicine hailing from Odisha was allegedly raped by some men in Durgapur. The incident took place outside the campus of the college on the night of October 10 when the second-year student had gone out with one of her friends for dinner and the particular group of men intercepted them. The police have already arrested five suspects. Meanwhile, both the National Commission for Women and the state women’s commission have taken suo motu cognizance of the case and sought immediate action taken report from police.
The Durgapur gangrape victim, in her statement to the doctor described how the men chased, overpowered and assaulted her inside a forest adjacent to the hostel. The harrowing experience she went through is enough to send shivers down the spine, further pointing at the horrors that the girls and women could face in this eastern state of the country.
Incidentally, a few days earlier a 21-year-old engineering student from Jharkhand was allegedly raped by her classmate – who is also the boyfriend of her roommate – at her paying guest accommodation at Anandapur in Kolkata during Durga Puja. The accused entered her room under the pretext of collecting belongings left by his girlfriend. He then allegedly forced her to consume alcohol and mixed some sedative in her food before raping her in an unconscious state.
In August 2024, a 31-year-old female postgraduate trainee doctor at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata was raped and murdered in the college building. Her body was later found in a seminar room on campus. The Calcutta High Court transferred the investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation stating that the Kolkata police’s investigation did not inspire confidence. The junior doctors in West Bengal undertook a strike action for 42 days demanding a thorough probe of the incident and adequate security at hospitals. The incident amplified debate about the safety of women and doctors in India, and sparked significant outrage and nationwide and international protests.
It is also pertinent to take note of the reaction from West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to the Durgapur rape incident, wherein she asked the girl students residing in hostels not to venture out at night. The remark as expected triggered a controversy. Ironically, Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress (TMC) was celebrating Kolkata’s recognition as the ‘safest city’ for the fourth consecutive year, based on the National Crime Records Bureau report. However, the two back-to-back alleged incidents of rape have burst the balloon of TMC’s law and order achievement, with statistics and reality presenting a conflicting picture.
Furthermore, the statement of the father of the Durgapur rape victim that he would be taking his daughter back to Odisha and that he is concerned about her safety in Bengal, have exposed the fragile law and order situation in that state, raising questions over the security of the female population. This is a clear reflection of the fact that Kolkata, often described as a city of intellect and culture, is now increasingly making the female students across the state as also their parents feel unsafe and unprotected.
The crime against women in West Bengal is a serious issue and should not be viewed as ammunition to the Opposition parties in the run-up to the 2026 assembly elections in that state. The TMC government should prioritise on the safety of women, or else the horrors in West Bengal will continue in the future.
