A woman was found lying in an open field in an injured state in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district, with Union minister Sukanta Majumdar alleging she was "abducted and raped".
The incident took place in Jangalia village in Joynagar area on Sunday, officials said.
She was first taken to a local medical facility and then shifted to Baruipur Hospital. Her condition is stable but serious, a senior police officer said.
Family members of the woman said she had left home on Saturday night but did not reach her destination thereafter.
"We have launched a probe and the culprits will be nabbed soon," he said.
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Majumdar, also the state BJP president, alleged in a post on X that the woman was "abducted and brutally raped".
"In Joynagar, a married young woman was abducted and brutally raped, after which an attempt was made to strangle her with a scarf. Villagers found her in a critical condition in an open field and rescued her. However, from the abduction to the rape, the police failed to trace the culprit!" Majumdar said.
{{/usCountry}}"In Joynagar, a married young woman was abducted and brutally raped, after which an attempt was made to strangle her with a scarf. Villagers found her in a critical condition in an open field and rescued her. However, from the abduction to the rape, the police failed to trace the culprit!" Majumdar said.
{{/usCountry}}The Union Minister of State for Education & Development of North Eastern Region also criticised Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for remaining silent over the incident.
"Even on the day of Saraswati Puja, the brutality of crimes against women did not stop in West Bengal! Yet, the shameless female Chief Minister of Bengal has not uttered a single word.
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"What kind of monstrous government is running in West Bengal, where brutal murders and rapes are happening every day? How many more women in West Bengal will lose their dignity and lives because of your shameless appeasement of criminals," the BJP leader wrote on X.