11 October 2025
The Joint Platform of Doctors, West Bengal, expresses its deepest outrage and anguish over the alleged gang-rape of an MBBS student at IQ City Medical College, Durgapur, on 10th October 2025.
This heinous crime, barely a year after the rape and murder of a postgraduate medical student at R.G. Kar Medical College on 9th August 2024, has once again laid bare the grim reality that women in our educational and medical institutions remain acutely unsafe. Despite the suo motu cognisance of the R.G. Kar case by the Hon’ble Supreme Court and the constitution of a National Task Force to ensure safety and preventive measures, nothing has changed on the ground.
The medical fraternity is devastated that a student who had dedicated her life to the service of healing has instead fallen victim to such barbaric violence. The silence, negligence, and apathy of the authorities have compounded the horror. There was an unacceptable delay in filing an FIR, a shocking absence of institutional accountability, and no visible safety response from the administration.
We categorically warn against any attempt at suppression, manipulation, or political interference in the investigation. The injustice and cover-up that followed the R.G. Kar case must not be repeated.
Our key demands are as follows:
1. Immediate constitution of an Independent Judicial Investigation Team (JIT) headed by a sitting or retired judge of unblemished integrity.
2. Immediate arrest of all accused individuals without delay or political influence.
3. Protection of the survivor and preservation of all evidence to prevent tampering or dilution.
4. Transparent, rapid, and unbiased investigation under continuous judicial oversight.
5. Accountability of institutional and law enforcement authorities for delay, negligence, or dereliction of duty.
6. Implementation of enforceable safety protocols across all medical and educational campuses, with penal consequences for non-compliance.
7. Speediest trial and exemplary punishment to send a strong message of zero tolerance toward sexual violence.
This is not an isolated crime — it is a systemic failure that demands immediate corrective action. The time for token assurances is over. The safety of students, particularly women, cannot be compromised any further.
If justice is denied or delayed, the entire medical community of West Bengal will be compelled to launch a sustained statewide agitation.
We stand firmly with the survivor and her family in this hour of unimaginable pain and demand that justice be done — and be seen to be done.
