For years, West Bengal has proudly presented itself as a secure haven for women, with Kolkata frequently topping national safety charts. The 2023 NCRB report, for instance, named Kolkata India’s safest major city for the fourth consecutive year, noting a decrease in reported crimes against women. However, beneath this seemingly reassuring facade, a deeply troubling reality is unfolding: female students throughout the state are experiencing a profound and escalating sense of insecurity, feeling both disregarded and vulnerable.
This illusion of safety was shattered by the horrific gang rape of a young medical student from Odisha in Durgapur this past October. The 23-year-old was abducted and assaulted while merely stepping out for dinner near her private medical college hostel. This incident eerily mirrors the devastating 2024 case at R.G. Kar Medical College, where a young doctor was raped and murdered within her own hostel premises. Both tragedies starkly expose glaring deficiencies in campus security and a shocking lack of institutional accountability. Beyond the individual horrors, what has truly ignited public outrage is the subsequent response from state leadership and institutions: a series of insensitive remarks, a relentless pattern of victim-blaming, and a perpetuation of the very culture of fear women are desperately fighting to overcome.
Mamata Banerjee’s ‘stay indoors’ stance on the Durgapur gang rape case underlines policy failure
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s Controversial Stance
Following the assault, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s comments drew widespread condemnation and shock across the nation. While acknowledging the incident, CM Banerjee reportedly advised female hostel residents, particularly those from outside the state, to ‘remain indoors, adhere to hostel regulations, and refrain from venturing out late at night.’ She added, ‘They have the right to go wherever they want, but the police have limitations and cannot monitor everyone.’ This statement, lambasted by women’s rights organizations and student bodies, tragically echoes a victim-blaming narrative that has plagued India’s gender discourse for decades. It suggests that women’s safety is contingent upon their self-imposed restrictions rather than society’s collective responsibility. Such advice is not only archaic but perilous, implying that a woman’s presence in public space inherently invites risk and, in the event of an assault, places a burden of blame upon her.
A Disturbing Parallel: The R.G. Kar Medical College Tragedy
The Durgapur incident painfully reminds the state’s student community of previous such violence. In August 2024, a young doctor suffered rape and murder within her hostel at Kolkata’s prestigious R.G. Kar Medical College. That tragedy also brought to light severe lapses in campus security and an alarmingly slow, often dismissive, administrative reaction. Widespread protests by junior doctors in Kolkata at the time demanded justice and significant safety reforms. Yet, over a year later, the situation appears largely unchanged. The same critical vulnerabilities persist: unmonitored hostel environments, inadequate CCTV surveillance, slow police intervention, and a pervasive culture that often silences victims instead of offering crucial support. The Durgapur case thus unfolds like a tragic, familiar script: another young woman victimized, another family devastated, and another round of public outrage met with defensive justifications from those in authority.
Unmasking Kolkata’s Faltering Safety Narrative
Kolkata has long enjoyed a distinct reputation in India’s discourse on women’s safety, often portrayed as more secure than megacities like Delhi or Mumbai. Official reports consistently underscore lower per capita rates of sexual violence, a fact frequently cited by state leaders as evidence of their progressive achievements. Indeed, the NCRB’s 2023 report again positioned Kolkata as the ‘safest city’ by overall crime rate, with a remarkably low 83.9 cognizable offenses per lakh population among 19 major metros. Crimes against women also saw a decline, with 1,746 cases reported in 2023, making it the third-lowest rate nationally. However, statistics can often obscure a deeper, more unsettling truth. Within many educational institutions, incidents of harassment and abuse remain significantly underreported due to victims’ fear of retaliation or social stigma. Hostel authorities often suppress ‘negative publicity,’ and police frequently encourage quiet settlements. The profound anxiety expressed by the Durgapur survivor’s father encapsulates a broader reality: a growing number of parents have lost faith in the system’s ability to genuinely protect their daughters. Student unions, from Jadavpur to Presidency University, contend that this ‘safety narrative’ has evolved into a mere ‘statistical comfort blanket,’ used to maintain an illusion of normalcy while underlying systemic failures continue to deteriorate.
When Political Leadership Shifts Blame, Women Bear the Cost
Chief Minister Banerjee’s controversial comment is far from an isolated incident; it’s symptomatic of a persistent victim-blaming narrative that resurfaces whenever women are assaulted. The inclination to lecture women on their conduct rather than enact systemic reforms is a political habit common across various parties. Yet, in West Bengal, this pattern feels particularly jarring, given the state’s historical emphasis on progressive politics and gender equality. By instructing women to stay indoors, leaders deftly redirect the conversation from governmental accountability to individual behavior. This tactic, subtle yet potent, serves as a form of control, compelling young women to constrict their lives, question their inherent right to public spaces, and internalize guilt. The consequences are tangible: female students in Durgapur, Asansol, and Kolkata’s medical colleges are now self-imposing restrictions on their movement, foregoing evening study groups, and avoiding hospital night shifts. These are not abstract concerns, but profound personal sacrifices driven by genuine fear.
A Systemic Breakdown: Institutions Fail Female Students
Alarmingly, every tier of the existing system appears to have failed West Bengal’s female students: college administrations dismiss complaints, police response is often delayed, and political leaders normalize dangers rather than actively working to eradicate them. Fundamental security protocols—such as consistent 24-hour patrols around women’s hostels, thoroughly vetted staff and guards, and truly responsive emergency helplines—are either inconsistently applied or poorly enforced. Consequently, universities and hospitals, intended as bastions of knowledge and care, have transformed into spaces where women must constantly weigh their personal freedom against potential peril. Experts highlight that the state’s significant deficit in gender-sensitivity training across its police force and educational institutions exacerbates these issues. Despite critical reforms initiated after the harrowing Nirbhaya case, the practical implementation of these policies at the local level remains distressingly inadequate.
The Heavy Toll on Female Students
The pervasive climate of fear has levied a steep price on female students across West Bengal. On campuses and in hostels, quiet warnings circulate: which routes to avoid, which taxis to steer clear of, and strict curfews for their return. For every brave woman who comes forward to file a complaint, countless others remain silent, terrified that the first inquiry they face won’t be about the ‘what happened,’ but rather, ‘why were you out so late?’ The Durgapur survivor’s harrowing experience has reignited a deep-seated panic among young women who once held a cherished belief in Kolkata and its university towns as sanctuaries of learning and autonomy. That trust is now fundamentally broken. For many students, the fear extends beyond physical assault; it encompasses the dread of being dismissed, disbelieved, or blamed by the very authorities who are sworn to protect them.
Freedom Is a Right, Not a Privilege to Be Curtailed
Genuine safety is not a product of restricted freedom; it emerges from environments where women can pursue their lives, education, and careers free from the constant burden of risk assessment. Female students in West Bengal are owed far more than sympathetic words and imposed curfews—they demand concrete action. This necessitates enhanced campus vigilance, absolute transparency and accountability from law enforcement, effective grievance redressal mechanisms, and a steadfast, zero-tolerance policy towards institutional negligence. It requires leadership that champions freedom and empowerment, not fear and constraint. The critical inquiry is no longer whether West Bengal is safe for women, but rather, whether it truly desires to be.
Ready to navigate global policies? Secure your overseas future. Get expert guidance now!