“Six Arrested in Durgapur Medical Student Gang-Rape Case: A Chilling Night That Shook Bengal’s Medical Community”

Durgapur, West Bengal – October 2025.
A second-year MBBS student from Odisha studying at a private medical college in Durgapur became the center of one of West Bengal’s most shocking assault cases this year. What began as a casual evening walk for snacks turned into a night of horror that has left the state’s medical fraternity shaken and reignited the debate over women’s safety on campuses.

According to police records and multiple national outlets, the 22-year-old student stepped out of the IQ City Medical College campus on the evening of October 10 with a male classmate. Around 8 p.m., they reached a stretch near the rear of the hospital complex — a sparsely lit area that students often cross to reach nearby eateries. It was here, investigators allege, that a group of men accosted the pair, dragged the woman away and sexually assaulted her in a wooded patch adjacent to the college boundary.

The survivor managed to reach safety and later told police that she had been forced into the bushes by five men. Her statement formed the basis of the initial FIR, lodged at the Durgapur police station the same night. Within hours, officers from the Paschim Bardhaman district formed a special investigation team to track the suspects.

The Arrests and Conflicting Statements

Over the next 72 hours, police arrested three men — identified in court papers as Firdous Sheikh, Nasiruddin Sekh and Apu Bauri — from nearby industrial areas. Two others, Riazuddin Sekh and Shafiq Sekh, were detained soon after. As questioning progressed, investigators turned their attention to the survivor’s own friend, the male student who had accompanied her that night. He was taken into custody on October 14 after inconsistencies appeared between his account and her father’s separate complaint, which accused him of luring her out and facilitating the assault.

By mid-October, a total of six people were under arrest. The primary accused, Firdous Sheikh, was described by police as the one who initiated the attack, while others allegedly participated in the assault or robbery that followed. The friend was booked as a co-conspirator but has denied involvement.

Legal Progress and Evidence Trail

Investigators filed an 861-page chargesheet within three weeks, detailing forensic evidence, CCTV footage from the hospital complex and nearby roads, and digital data from seized mobile phones. The document invokes Sections 376D (gang rape), 363 (kidnapping), 394 (robbery) and other provisions of the Indian Penal Code. All six accused remain in custody after a local court rejected their bail pleas and ordered the case to a fast-track court for trial.

Forensic teams collected DNA samples and reconstructed the crime scene in the presence of magistrates. Police say that the survivor’s phone was recovered from one of the accused, strengthening the robbery charge. A closed-door test-identification parade was conducted under magistrate supervision.

Political and Public Reaction

The case sparked political outrage across West Bengal. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, while condemning the assault, drew criticism for remarking that “girls should not go out at night,” a comment widely interpreted as victim-blaming. Opposition leaders demanded her apology and called for stronger campus policing.

The National Commission for Women (NCW) sought a detailed report from the state government, citing parallels with the earlier RG Kar Medical College case in Kolkata. Women’s rights groups staged protests in Durgapur and Kolkata, pressing for gender-sensitivity training and better lighting around student hostels.

Campus and Institutional Fallout

Following the incident, IQ City Medical College tightened its security protocols, increasing patrols and restricting late-night movement outside the hostel gates. Administrators told the press that they were cooperating fully with police and prioritizing the survivor’s medical and psychological care.

Despite police assurances, many female students have spoken anonymously about fear and mistrust. “If this can happen right next to our college, none of us feels safe,” one told reporters.

The Road Ahead

The trial, expected to begin before year-end, will test both the speed and sensitivity of Bengal’s justice system. Investigators are still reconciling discrepancies between the survivor’s and her father’s complaints, a factor that could influence the prosecution’s framing. For now, six men remain behind bars, and Durgapur’s medical community continues to grapple with the trauma of a night that changed the conversation around safety on campus corridors.