Maharashtra: Nursing student in Ratnagiri sexually assaulted, found unconscious; triggers protests

A 20-year-old nursing student was allegedly sexually assaulted in the Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra. She was found lying unconscious near the Champak ground in the city, having sustained several injuries, India Today has reported. 

She has been rushed to the district hospital where she is undergoing treatment. Meanwhile, the hospital sources have said that the victim sustained multiple injuries, raising suspicions of brutal rape and assault, as per the report. 

Coming in the backdrop of the horrific rape and murder case of a trainee doctor in Kolkata, the incident has triggered protests in Ratnagiri. 

Nurses and hospital staff protested against the incident outside the hospital, where the victim is admitted, and raised slogans demanding justice for her. They also demanded death penalty for those involved in the crime. 

The protests further escalated as the hospital workers and nurses, along with other people, took to streets in Ratnagiri and blocked traffic, halting vehicular movements. 

Meanwhile, the police have registered a case and launched an investigation into the matter, India Today reported. 

This comes at a time when the nation has been protesting against the brutal rape and murder of a 31-year-old trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical college in Kolkata and the sexual assualt of two minor girls at kindergarten in Thane, raising concerns about women's safety in the country. 

This incident again serves as a stark reminder to hold discourse on women's safety in the country, with many demanding capital punishment for the guilty.