West Bengal’s Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee once again came to the limelight for an unpopular opinion on the issue of women’s safety after a student was gang-raped at a private medical college in Paschim Bardhaman district. She remarked that girls should not go out at night, as they are responsible for keeping themselves safe.
Three people have been convicted of the crime. While addressing a media conference over the same, the Chief Minister blatantly questioned the timings of the girl, saying, “How did the victim come out of college at 12:30 am?”
She further stated that though the investigations are ongoing, and as per initial findings, the incident occurred in a forested area. The fact that the girl was out at such a late hour was the responsibility of the college. She asked the authorities to be careful, especially about the timings of the girl students.
The Chief Minister also alleged that West Bengal is pointed out whenever such a crime takes place. She quoted a recent incident in Odisha where three women were raped on a beach, and asked the authorities about the actions taken by the Odisha government after the incident.
Talking to the media person, she also said that such events are condemnable regardless of the state. To ensure the protection of women, she also urged the government to make rules in other states. Talking about West Bengal’s steps to prevent rape cases, she stated that the authorities charge-sheeted the accused in less than two months, and the lower court also passed capital punishment against the accused.
Talking about the Durgapur case, she affirmed that all the culprits will be punished. The student hailing from Odisha was allegedly raped by some people in Durgapur, the police reported. The girl was outside with her friends on Friday night when the incident occurred outside the college campus.
The parents of the girl, who was in her second year, filed an FIR with the New Township Police Station.
