Three individuals have been taken into custody in West Bengal's Uluberia following allegations that they physically attacked a female doctor at a government hospital and issued rape threats. The disturbing episode, occurring one year after the brutal rape and murder of a doctor at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, has ignited fierce political disputes between the governing Trinamool Congress and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party.
The incident unfolded on Monday at Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay Government Medical College and Hospital in Howrah district. The perpetrators are reportedly family members of a hospitalised patient. Following a heated confrontation with the doctor that afternoon, they allegedly carried out the assault. Subsequently, the doctor lodged a police complaint, resulting in three arrests: Sheikh Samrat, Sheikh Babulal, a Home Guard serving as a traffic officer, and Sheikh Hasibul.
The Joint Forum of Doctors, representing medical professionals across Bengal, inspected the facility and expressed alarm regarding physician safety during duty hours.
The BJP has criticised Trinamool over the matter. State BJP chief Samik Bhattacharya accused the Mamata Banerjee administration of learning nothing from the RG Kar incident, claiming Trinamool has fostered a lawless environment where party-affiliated Home Guards and civic volunteers operate with impunity, noting the absence of CCTV surveillance.
Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar declared women in Bengal "terrifyingly unsafe" under Banerjee's leadership, highlighting inadequate security and police accountability.
Trinamool spokesperson Arun Chakraborty condemned the incident whilst noting swift arrests, countering by questioning BJP's silence when their Nandigram member faced rape charges.
