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“The BJP criticizes West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee for her ’12:30 am’ remark about the Durgapur gangrape survivor, calling it an act of victim-blaming and insensitivity.”
The alleged gangrape of a second-year student of a private medical college in West Bengal’s Durgapur has caused a massive row in the state as the BJP targeted the ruling TMC government over the lack of law and order. It also hit out at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for her controversial remark stating that girls “should not be allowed to go outside at night”.
The incident has sparked outrage in the state as the Bharatiya Janata Party criticised the Mamata Banerjee government for failing to protect women, while the ruling party accused the BJP of politicising the incident.
“She was studying in a private medical college… all the private medical are whose responsibility? how they came out in the night at 12:30?… it happened, so far I know, in the forest area… investigation is on,” Mamata Banerjee said on Sunday.
BJP slams Mamata over ‘out at 12:30 am’ remark
BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia called Banerjee a “blot on womanhood”.
He wrote on X, “Shameless @MamataOfficial a blot on womanhood, even more for being a CM…After RG Kar and Sandeshkhali, now this horrific case of rape and instead of justice, she blames the victim.”
Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar slammed the TMC, claiming that the party has repeatedly made such statements and questioned whether the Chief Minister wanted all women to wear burqas and stay at home.
“Earlier, when the RG Kar Medical College incident occurred, a notification was issued that private companies should give fewer night shifts to women. Now the Chief Minister is saying that women should not go out at night. Does she want all women to wear burqas and stay at home?” he said.
National Commission for Women (NCW) member Archana Majumdar also criticised Banerjee, calling her remark “absurd”.
She said, “How can we say that in the evening, that is 12 hours a day, a girl should stay locked in a room? Women are working in hospitals, the IT sector and everywhere equally to men. Today’s Indian girls are winning gold medals in weightlifting at the Olympics. They are going to space and we say that girls should stay inside the house after 9 or 8 pm…”
“It is the responsibility of the chief minister to stand beside women and to make laws to secure women… This is absurd, I cannot support her statement that girls should stay at home… This is not correct,” she added.
BJP West Bengal Secretary Priyanka Tibrewal called Banerjee’s remarks “insensitive” and accused her of victim shaming.
“Very insensitive comment once again comes from the Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, where instead of asking her police and administration to hold on to the perpetrators who are behind this kind of crime, she is again trying to victim shame. Now she is saying that the blame is on the girl because she moved out of the hostel,” she said.
BJP MP Shankar Lalwani condemned the incident and alleged that there is a lack of law and order in the state. “The incident that happened in West Bengal is very shameful. These kinds of incidents have occurred in the state earlier as well. There is no law and order in the state… I condemn the incident,” he told ANI.
Mamata Banerjee says remarks “distorted”
After the backlash over her statement, the TMC supremo blamed the media for “distorting her words”.
“The media distorted my words. You ask me a question, I answer it, and then you distort it. Do not try this kind of politics,” she said in Alipurduar.
Meanwhile, three accused in the case have been arrested and were presented before the court.
With inputs from agencies
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