Mamata assures ‘none will be spared’ in Durgapur ‘gangrape’
Kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday condemned the alleged gangrape of a 23-year-old medical student from Odisha in Durgapur and assured that “no one will be spared”.
The Chief Minister also clarified that her statement made at the airport was ‘distorted’ and criticised the private medical college for lapses in hostel safety.
“My address at Dum Dum Airport has been deliberately distorted. You ask me a question and when I answer, my words are twisted,” she said.
Speaking about the college, Chief Minister Banerjee at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport said: “The college has the responsibility to take care of the students who stay there.”
“We have a zero-tolerance policy. I request students not to go out at night because the police cannot know who is going out and when.
I am not supporting the incident—it is highly condemnable. Hostel authorities also have a responsibility.”
The second-year student of a private medical college was allegedly gangraped in a forested area near the Paranganj Kalibari crematorium, close to her hostel, on Friday night after she went out for dinner with a friend.
Police have arrested three persons in connection with the case and a local court has remanded them to 10 days’ police custody. A forensic team visited the spot on Sunday and collected samples for examination. Police said they are searching for at least one more suspect and have detained several others for questioning.
According to investigators, the student and her friend were surrounded by a group of men while returning from dinner. The men allegedly teased the woman and threatened her companion, who fled in fear. The accused then dragged the woman into a nearby forest and raped her, also snatching her mobile phone. The friend later returned and found her in distress. She managed to reach her hostel and inform the authorities, after which her father was contacted.
During the probe, police used technical support and deployed drones to trace the accused. Officers said the case was being treated with “utmost seriousness” and that all perpetrators would be brought to justice.
In a post on its official X handle, the West Bengal Police said: “We are deeply saddened by the late-night sexual assault yesterday on a private medical college student, outside the college campus in Durgapur, and wish to assure all that the culprits shall not go unpunished. The pain of the victim is as much ours as it is Odisha’s.” The post added that the victim was recovering well and urged people to refrain from sharing unverified information.
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi urged the Bengal government to take necessary steps in the matter. In response, Banerjee questioned the BJP’s record on women’s safety, citing recent rape cases in Odisha, Manipur and Uttar Pradesh.
Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee said the crime was “in no way forgivable” and criticised the Governor for delaying approval of a state bill on harsher punishment for rape.
According to TMC, while BJP-ruled states top the list in crimes against women, Bengal ranks third in the country in chargesheet rate.
The victim, who is undergoing treatment at a hospital, is said to be recovering. Police reiterated their zero-tolerance policy toward crimes against women.
