Mamata Banerjee clarifies her 'girls shouldn't go out at night' remark over Durgapur rape case, says 'my words were distorted'

Mamata Banerjee

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday clarified her remark over the Durgapur rape case and said that the media distorted 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, as quoted by news agency ANI.

This came after she commented on the issue earlier in the day, saying that girls should not be allowed to go out of college campus at night and that they should also protect themselves.

“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. Nobody will be excused. Whoever is guilty will be punished strictly. Three people have already been arrested. We will take stringent action…” she said.
“When it happens in other states, it is also condemnable. Such incidents have taken place in Manipur, UP, Bihar, Odisha; we also think the government must take stringent action there. In our state, we charge-sheeted the people within 1–2 months, and the lower court gave the order to hang the accused,” the Chief Minister added.

“The girl was studying in a private medical college. How did she come out at 12:30 a.m.? As far as I know, the incident took place in the forest area. I do not know what happened. The investigation is on. I’m shocked to see the incident, but private medical colleges also should take care of their students, and especially girls,” Mamata further said.

Controversy erupted over her remarks as the opposing BJP accused her of shifting blame and engaging in victim-blaming. Reports also said that BJP leader Locket Chatterjee and others were stopped from meeting the rape survivor and alleged that police was present inside the emergency area while it was closed.