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A woman doctor was abused and threatened with assault inside a government hospital in West Bengal’s Uluberia. With rising attacks on women, including the RG Kar and Durgapur cases, is the state failing to protect its frontline workers?
3 men, including a Home Guard, have been arrested in connection with the attack.
Kolkata: In a chilling reminder of the increasing threats faced by women professionals in West Bengal, a woman doctor was allegedly assaulted and threatened with assault by three individuals at Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay Government Medical College and Hospital in Uluberia, Howrah. The incident occurred on Monday and has led to the arrest of three accused — one of whom is a Home Guard.
According to reports, the accused were relatives of a patient admitted to the hospital. An altercation escalated into physical assault and verbal threats of sexual violence. The doctor, traumatised by the attack, lodged a complaint with local authorities, following which arrests were made.
The accused have been identified as Sheikh Samrat, Sheikh Babulal, a Home Guard who also worked as a traffic cop and Sheikh Hasibul.
This disturbing case comes just a year after the brutal assault and murder of a young doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital — a case that shocked the entire nation. That incident had led to widespread protests and demands for stronger protection for women in healthcare and other public-facing sectors.
The recent attack at Uluberia has not only reignited those fears but also sparked a fresh political storm, with opposition parties blaming the ruling Trinamool Congress for the deteriorating law and order situation in the state.
The BJP was quick to condemn the incident and hold the Mamata Banerjee-led government accountable. State BJP chief and Rajya Sabha MP Samik Bhattacharya accused the Trinamool regime of fostering lawlessness and ignoring past lessons from similar cases.
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Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar echoed these concerns, calling Bengal “terrifyingly unsafe” for women. He highlighted the absence of security at the hospital during the incident and criticised the government’s “failure to learn” from the RG Kar case.
“No amount of political deflection can change the fact that women are unsafe in Mamata Banerjee’s Bengal,” Majumdar said in a social media post.
Trinamool Congress, however, pushed back. Party spokesperson Arun Chakraborty called the incident “unfortunate and condemnable” but defended the administration, noting that the accused were swiftly arrested. He also criticised the BJP for remaining silent during similar incidents involving their own members, such as the Nandigram assault case.
The Uluberia incident is not isolated. It adds to a growing list of crimes against women in the state, including high-profile cases like:
These incidents have raised serious concerns about women’s safety in educational institutions, workplaces, and even hospitals — places that are supposed to be secure.
The Joint Forum of Doctors, which visited the Uluberia hospital, demanded better security arrangements and protection for healthcare workers on duty. “We cannot work under constant fear,” a representative said.
With repeated cases of violence against women, critics argue that the West Bengal government must implement stronger safety measures, particularly in hospitals, colleges, and public institutions.
