Bengal: Woman Doctor Assaulted, Threatened With Rape At Uluberia Hospital; 3 Held

Three people have been arrested in West Bengal’s Uluberia for allegedly assaulting a woman doctor at a state-run hospital and threatening her with rape. The incident, which occurred nearly a year after the rape and murder of a woman doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, has reignited outrage and a political war of words between the ruling Trinamool Congress and the opposition BJP. The accused are said to be relatives of a patient admitted to the hospital, and their arrest has renewed concerns over doctors’ safety in the state.

The assault took place on Monday at Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay Government Medical College and Hospital in Uluberia, Howrah district. The accused reportedly had an altercation with the doctor during which they allegedly attacked and threatened her. Following the incident, the doctor lodged a police complaint that led to the arrest of three individuals: Sheikh Samrat, Sheikh Babulal, and Sheikh Hasibul. Among them, Babulal, a Home Guard, also worked as a traffic police officer.

Members of the Joint Forum of Doctors, representing medical professionals across West Bengal, visited the hospital and expressed serious concern over the recurring threats faced by doctors while on duty.

The BJP accused the Mamata Banerjee-led government of failing to ensure women’s safety. State BJP president and Rajya Sabha MP Samik Bhattacharya said, “Trinamool has created a troubled society where perverted Home Guards and civic volunteers are part of the party. They believe it is their government. They do not care about police or administration. There is no CCTV surveillance. It is an unfortunate incident.”

Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar also criticised the Chief Minister, saying women in Bengal are “terrifyingly unsafe” under her rule. Trinamool spokesperson Arun Chakraborty called the incident “condemnable and unfortunate”, but said all the accused had been arrested, while questioning BJP’s silence on similar cases involving its own members.

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