Kolkata, often referred to as the “City of Joy,” is currently gripped by tension and protests following a brutal rape incident involving a trainee doctor at the city’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9. In a shocking development amid these ongoing demonstrations, Bengali actress Payel Mukherjee was attacked by a biker while driving her car on Friday evening in the Southern Avenue area of South Kolkata.
Payel took to Instagram to share her harrowing experience, posting a video in which she recounted the frightening ordeal. The actress, visibly shaken and in tears, explained that she was driving when a young man on a bike suddenly stopped in front of her car and demanded that she step out. Fearing for her safety, Payel refused, prompting the attacker to bang on her car’s right-side window. The force of the impact shattered the glass, injuring her hand and leaving her traumatised.
The incident, which occurred on a busy street during the evening rush hour, has sparked outrage, highlighting the ongoing concerns about women’s safety in the city. In her video, Payel expressed deep frustration and fear, saying, “As I refused to come out fearing for my safety, the man banged against the glass on my right-side window and broke it into pieces, injuring my hand…I don’t know where we stand now. If a woman can be accosted and heckled in such a way in a crowded street in the evening, that exemplifies the real situation. And this happens amid rallies taken out all over the city on the issue of women’s safety.”
Payel also provided details of the attacker’s bike in her video, urging authorities to take swift action. Her live-streamed account of the attack has drawn widespread attention and sympathy, with many expressing concern over the deteriorating safety conditions in the city, particularly for women.
This incident adds to the growing tension in Kolkata, where residents are already on edge following recent crimes against women. The authorities have yet to apprehend the attacker, and investigations are ongoing.
