Durgapur, West Bengal: The father of a student allegedly gang-raped outside a private medical college in Paschim Bardhaman district’s Durgapur on Friday night claimed that it was her male friend who took her out under the pretext of getting something to eat.

“At 10 PM, her friend called us and said that your daughter has been raped. We live in Jaleshwar. My daughter was studying here. Yesterday, one of her classmates took her out on the pretext of getting something to eat, but when two or three other men arrived, he abandoned her and fled. They raped her... This incident happened between 8 and 9 PM. The hostel was far away, and she had come here to eat,” he told to ANI.

The 19-year-old, a resident of Jaleswar, Odisha, is undergoing treatment at a nearby hospital, a police officer confirmed.

“On the basis of a complaint lodged by the family members of the medic, we have started an investigation,” the officer added.

“We came here this morning and lodged a complaint with the police. I have heard that the college performed well academically, and this is why we sent our daughter to study medicine here… The security arrangements are not sufficient... Such a serious incident occurred, but no action has been taken. There is no system here, no response,” her father said. 

An initial probe revealed that the student had gone outside the campus with her friend around 8–8.30 PM. “The friend left her alone when three unidentified men arrived there. The men snatched her phone and took her to a jungle outside the campus, where they raped her. She was threatened with dire consequences if she told anyone about the incident,” the officer said.

He added that the accused also demanded money from the student to return her mobile phone. The victim’s statement has been recorded.

“We spoke to the victim's friend last night. We are trying to find out some CCTV footage. A forensic team will visit the spot to collect evidence,” the officer said.

A team from the National Commission for Women (NCW) is heading to Durgapur to meet the victim and her parents. NCW member Archana Majumdar condemned the rising crimes against women in West Bengal. “Crime against women is on the rise in Bengal. The police are not taking any proactive steps in such cases. This is quite unfortunate. I will request the chief minister to come forward and work in tandem to arrest the rise of such crimes,” she said.

Meanwhile, the West Bengal health department has sought a report from the private medical college in Durgapur. “We have sought a quick report from the college authorities in this connection. Accordingly, we will take steps,” a senior official said.