Bhubaneswar: Odisha Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida has strongly criticized West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s statement that girls should not be allowed to go out at night.
The remark was made in response to a gang-rape incident involving an Odia medical student in Durgapur, West Bengal.
In a tweet, Parida expressed disappointment and shock at Banerjee’s statement, terming it an insult to the 4.90 crore women in West Bengal. “If girls cannot expect empathy, safety, and rights from a female Chief Minister, then from whom will they expect it?” Parida questioned.
The Deputy CM also asked Banerjee to submit in writing that she lacks compassion for the survivor, a second-year medical student from Odisha.
“A woman leader like Mamata Banerjee, who has earned the identity of Didi and a female Chief Minister, has disappointed women with her statement – “Girls should not go out at night.” This has not only surprised me but also astonished and insulted the four crore ninety lakh women of West Bengal. Instead of delivering justice to the victim, the Chief Minister has no right to bring gender inequality and raise questions on the rights of girls. And if there is no sympathy for an Odia girl victim, then let them write to the Odisha government. We can understand the matter of our children even in your state. It is extremely condemnable to not feel ashamed. If girls do not expect empathy, safety, and rights from a female Chief Minister, then from whom will they seek it?”, read the Parida’s tweet.
The incident has sparked widespread condemnation, with many criticizing Banerjee’s statement as insensitive and victim-blaming.
According to reports, the student, who is a resident of Odisha’s Jaleswar, had stepped out of the campus with a male friend for dinner when a group of young men on motorcycles began stalking them and making lewd comments.
The men allegedly chased away the friend, dragged the student to a forested area behind the campus, and gang-raped her. They also snatched her mobile phone and threw it away.
The male friend returned with others from the college and found the injured student on the ground. She was admitted to a local hospital.
