'Girls should not be allowed to come out at night': Mamata Banerjee's first reaction on Durgapur medical student rape horror

Speaking to the media, the chief minister questioned: "How did the girl venture out of her college premises at 12:30 am at night?"

"As far as I know, the incident happened in a forest area and at 12:30 am...I don't know what happened but investigation is underway," she stated.

Expressing her 'shock' over the incident, which occurred just a year after a doctor was raped and murdered at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, Banerjee said private medical colleges should take responsibility for the safety of their students.

"Especially, the feamale students should not be allowed to go out at night time," she stressed.

"They also need to protect themselves. The incident occurred in a forest area as per my knowledge based on a prima facie report," she added.

She said the police have launched a massive manhunt to nab the perpetrators, and three have already been arrested.

"The guilty will be punished strictly. Three accused have been arrested," she said.

"Please don't mix up with flood crisis in West Bengal. Incidents like this also happen in other states... in Manipur so many have happened, in Odisha,Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, too, and that are all equally condemnable," she said, making a veiled attack at BJP, which yesterday questioned the deterioratng women's safety in West Bengal.

Without naming the saffron party, Banerjee said, "They keep mum, such crimes occur in Uttar Prdrash regularly. A rape survivor was burned alive on her way to the court but they didn't speak a word.

"We don't support any crime. All the governments should take stringent actions against the accused."

She asked the private medical colleges to take care of the students and ensure they don't venture outside at night.

"The matter is condemnable and we will take all action but private colleges must ensure their students' safety. I also urge the students, who have come to study in West Bengal, not to go out late at night. Police cannot cannot be present everywhere," she remarked.

"Anyone can go out; it’s not that leaving at night is wrong. But students living in a college hostel are expected to follow certain rules," she maintained.

3 arrested, 1 detained in Odisha medical student's gangrape in Durgapur

The West Bengal Police has arrested three people and detained another in connection with the gang-rape of a second-year medical student from Odisha close to a private medical college in the state’s industrial hub Durgapur, media reports said.

According to an NDTV report, the arrested accused and the detained individual are locals.

They have been identified as Apu Bauri (21), Firdos Sekh (23), Sekh Reajuddin (31), and Sheikh Sofiqul, the report said, citing officials

They will be produced before the court today, the report added.

Officials said a 23-year-old student from Jaleswar in Odisha, studying at IQ City Medical College in Durgapur’s Shivapur area, was allegedly raped after being taken to a deserted spot about a kilometre from the campus on Friday night.

The woman had gone out with a male friend when a group of men approached them near the college gate, took her away, and raped her before fleeing.

According to the survivor’s family, her friend was also complicit in the crime, alleging that he “misled and took her to a vacant place under false pretexts”.

The accused reportedly snatched her phone and stole ₹5,000, as mentioned in the complaint.

The woman is currently receiving treatment at a Durgapur hospital and is “recovering well”, officials said, according to the report.

West Bengal Minister for Women and Child Development and Trinamool Congress leader Shashi Panja stated that the student would receive psychological counselling.