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It was almost like homecoming for Rubaiya Bintenahar, the second year MBBS student of RG Kar Medical College Hospital, who was tagged a 'witch' by her unwilling parents. She arrived at her college on Monday, after around 23 days of captivity at her parental home in Coochbehar's Dinhata. On her journey back, Rubaiya's father Noor Jabbar Ali Mian and Natabari MLA Tamsher Ali accompanied her. They reached Sealdah on Monday morning from Takagachh village in Cooch Behar.

On arrival to the city, Rubaiya said, "It is like homecoming. My peace of mind is coming back after returning to college after three weeks at my village. Now I will concentrate on my studies." Acknowledging that she was suffering from mental illness for sometime, Rubaiya said, "I could not concentrate on my studies. My father took me away from the college back to my village and I was confined in a room. Now, all I want is to resume a normal student's life at RG Kar."

After being led to the chamber of college Principal Professor Utpal Dutta, Rubaiya requested the principal to provide her with proper guidance. "I do not want to appear in the second professional supplementary examination which is supposed to take place in May because I am not prepared properly to sit through it," she explained. Rubaiya also asked for a roommate who would help her get over her problems and give her company. "I think I have changed a bit since I first came to Kolkata to pursue medical studies. I am not as emotional as I was earlier," she told the principal.

Professor Dutta called up the head of psychiatry Dr Pradip Saha and asked him to properly diagnose Rubaiya. He also assured Rubaiya's father that she would be taken care off properly. Saha said, "I have treated her earlier when Rubaiya had some mental problems and was almost cured after regular medication. For the last few days she suddenly turned aloof and stopped coming to me for check-ups."

Ali took his daughter to the medical college directly from Sealdah station. He told Professor Dutta and other faculty members at RG Kar College, "Since we do not want to ruin the career of a brilliant student like her, we brought Rubaiya first to the college." A series of reports from Hindustan Times forced Ali to bow down to the pressure from the district administration, political leaders, teachers and social activities, who urged him to send his daughter back to continue her studies.

Email author: subhendu.maiti@hindustantimes.com