West Bengal – The alleged Durgapur gangrape of a second-year student at a private medical college in West Bengal has triggered a massive political controversy, with the Bharatiya Janata Party launching scathing attacks on Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over her controversial remarks about women’s safety. The incident has exposed deep fault lines in the state’s political landscape regarding law and order.
Mamata’s Controversial Statement
Following the Durgapur gangrape incident, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee made remarks that immediately drew widespread criticism from opposition parties and women’s rights advocates. “I’m shocked to see the incident, but private medical colleges also should take care of their students, and especially girls. The girls should not be allowed to go outside (college) at night. They have to protect themselves also. There is a forest area. Police are searching all the people,” Banerjee stated.
The Chief Minister’s comments suggesting restrictions on women’s mobility at night rather than focusing on perpetrator accountability sparked immediate backlash, with critics accusing her of victim-shaming and deflecting from governance failures.
BJP Launches Scathing Attack
BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia called Banerjee “a blot on womanhood” in response to her handling of the Durgapur gangrape case. Writing on social media platform X, Bhatia stated, “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 intensified the criticism, questioning 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 asked.
National Commission for Women Condemns Remarks
National Commission for Women member Archana Majumdar strongly criticized Banerjee’s response to the Durgapur gangrape, calling her remarks “absurd.” She emphasized the importance of women’s equal participation in society across all hours.
“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,” Majumdar stated.
She further added, “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.”
Accusations of Victim Shaming
BJP West Bengal Secretary Priyanka Tibrewal directly accused Banerjee of victim shaming in the Durgapur gangrape case. “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,” Tibrewal stated.
BJP MP Shankar Lalwani condemned the Durgapur gangrape incident while alleging a broader breakdown of law and order in West Bengal. “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 reporters.
Mamata Claims Words Were Distorted
Facing intense backlash over her response to the Durgapur gangrape, Chief Minister Banerjee defended herself by claiming her words were distorted. Speaking in Alipurduar, she blamed the media for misrepresenting her statement.
“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, attempting to deflect criticism and frame the controversy as political manipulation rather than addressing concerns about her original statement.
Pattern of Incidents Raises Concerns
The Durgapur gangrape incident has reignited discussions about women’s safety in West Bengal, with critics pointing to previous cases including the RG Kar Medical College incident and Sandeshkhali allegations. Opposition parties have used these incidents to question the TMC government’s commitment to protecting women and maintaining law and order.
The ruling TMC has accused the BJP of politicizing the Durgapur gangrape for electoral gains, claiming the opposition is more interested in scoring political points than addressing women’s safety through constructive dialogue.
Legal Action Underway
Despite the political controversy surrounding the Durgapur gangrape, law enforcement has made progress with three accused individuals arrested in connection with the case. The arrested persons were presented before the court, marking the beginning of judicial proceedings.
However, the broader debate continues about whether state authorities are doing enough to prevent such incidents and create an environment where women can move freely without fear, regardless of the time of day.
