Last Updated:October 22, 2025, 17:37 IST

The third accused was arrested on Wednesday in connection with a woman trainee doctor, who was allegedly assaulted and threatened with rape in Uluberia on Monday.

The two men allegedly attacked the trainee doctor and threatened sexual assault when she was performing routine duty at Uluberia’s Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay Medical College and Hospital. (IMAGE: X)

Police made their third arrest in connection with a woman trainee doctor, who was allegedly assaulted and threatened with rape at West Bengal’s Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay Medical College and Hospital in Uluberia, Howrah district, on Monday.

Police had arrested two men, identified as Sheikh Babulal, a home guard working with the Uluberia Traffic Police, and Habibur Rahman. A third person, identified as Sheikh Samrat, was taken into custody on Wednesday. All three have been sent to three days of police custody.

The main accused, Babulal, was suspended from duty as allegations of assault and rape threats surfaced. He was working as a temporary home guard with the Uluberia Traffic Police, as per local reports.

What Happened?

The incident occurred on Monday evening when a pregnant woman was being treated at the hospital. During a routine check-up in the evening, the junior doctor was unable to perform a full physical examination due to the patient’s medical complications.

Babulal, the woman’s relative, and two others questioned the doctor about the patient’s condition. An argument ensued, during which the doctor was allegedly slapped, her arm twisted, and subjected to verbal abuse.

According to the doctor, one of the men also claimed to be a senior police officer and an influential political leader before threatening her further. The ward master immediately alerted the hospital police outpost, and officers rushed to the scene. The assaulted doctor was later taken to Uluberia police station, where she filed a formal complaint.

Notably, the incident takes place after multiple incidents of rape and assault on women doctors in West Bengal in the last year, since the rape and murder of a woman doctor in RG Kar Hospital in August 2024 in Kolkata, which sent shockwaves across the nation.

BJP Stages Protests

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) slammed the TMC government in West Bengal for repeatedly failing to tackle crimes against women and staged protests in Uluberia against the incident. The party also called for a protest in front of the Superintendent of Police’s office on Wednesday, which LoP Suvendu Adhikari is expected to attend, as per Anandabazar Patrika.

“Mahila Birodhi (Anti-women) Mamata has appointed such goons and criminals in the police force, that they themselves are threatening women with rape! No woman is spared – be they doctors or students! All this while Mamata tells women to stay indoors after 8pm! No wonder Bengali women simply want Mamata to leave!" said the BJP West Bengal.

Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar, reacting to the developments, said that women in West Bengal are “terrifyingly unsafe" and lashed out at the “incompetent, exposed" police administration for failing to tackle such issues.

“No matter how much the failed Chief Minister @MamataOfficial tries to shirk responsibility, she and her incompetent, exposed police administration are squarely to blame. Under Mamata Banerjee’s rule, women in Bengal are terrifyingly unsafe and each such incident shows the Trinamool government’s sins have overflown their limits," he said in a social media post on X.

Meanwhile, the West Bengal Doctors Forum condemned the assault and said this was not an isolated crime but a “symptom of lawlessness that has gripped the healthcare system. Hospitals in West Bengal have turned into unsafe war zones where doctors, nurses and staff serve under constant fear."

Meanwhile, West Bengal Health Secretary said the department is monitoring the case closely and has sought a report from the hospital. Trinamool Congress MLA Dr Nirmal Majhi, who visited the hospital, said there was not enough security in the hospital at the time of the assault and assured that there will be zero tolerance for such incidents, according to The Indian Express.

Aveek Banerjee

Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master's in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in international...Read More

Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master's in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in international...

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