Bhubaneswar: The father of a 23-year-old woman, who was allegedly gangraped in West Bengal’s Durgapur, Sunday appealed to the Odisha government to shift her to Bhubaneswar for treatment, citing a threat to her life.
The survivor, a second-year MBBS student, is currently undergoing treatment at a hospital in Durgapur.
Her parents, residents of Jaleswar in Balasore district, rushed to West Bengal after being informed about the incident.
“I appeal to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi to help shift my daughter to Bhubaneswar. I fear that her life may be in danger,” the father told PTI over phone from Durgapur.
The Dalit woman was allegedly raped by three men while she had gone out of the campus with a male student around 8pm Friday, officials said.
The student’s father said the family felt unsafe in West Bengal and was “too frightened to trust anyone”.
“They (not taking any name) will kill my daughter. Her health condition has improved, but there is danger to her life. I cannot trust them,” he said.
“I am hiding in Durgapur, while my wife, a diabetic, stands at the bedside of our daughter in the hospital,” he added.
The father made a plea to the Odisha government after a team of officials from Balasore visited the hospital on Saturday, acting on the direction of Majhi, who had spoken to him over phone the same night.
Asked about West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s reported remark that girls should not venture out of campus at night, the father said: “This is completely false. I see an attempt to suppress the incident. My daughter had not gone out at midnight—it was just 8 pm on Friday.”
He further alleged that the survivor had gone out with a male companion who fled the scene during the attack and did not alert anyone.
“She was attacked between 8 and 9pm. Her male companion ran away and did not raise an alarm or seek help. The miscreants then dragged her into a jungle area and did unspeakable things to her,” he claimed.
Additional District Magistrate of Balasore, Hemant Singh, who visited the hospital, said, “The West Bengal Police has arrested three people within 36 hours of the incident. We are satisfied and hope that justice will be done to the victim.”
A four-member team from the Balasore district administration, including District Social Welfare Officer Jyotsna Mohanty, also met the family.
“The survivor’s condition is gradually improving. We have assured the family that the Odisha government stands firmly with them. Necessary coordination is being maintained with the West Bengal Police,” Mohanty said.
Meanwhile, BJP MP Pratap sarangi came down heavily on the Banerjee government and blamed the chief minister for “complete breakdown” of the law and order in the state.
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