Saugata Roy, a senior TMC leader, emphasized the need for women to exercise caution following a gang rape incident involving a medical student in Durgapur, West Bengal. His comments came after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee faced backlash for advising female students to avoid being out late at night. .
Senior Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader and Member of Parliament Saugata Roy on Monday urged women to remain cautious, saying police cannot be present everywhere, as he commented on the recent gang rape of a medical student in Durgapur, West Bengal.
Roy’s statement came a day after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee faced criticism for advising female students not to stay out late at night following the assault.
“Such incidents are rare in Bengal. Women’s safety here is better than in many other places,” Roy told reporters in Kolkata. “But women shouldn’t leave their colleges so late at night. Police can’t be present on every road; they can only act after an incident occurs. So, women should also be careful,” he added, reports PTI.
Defending Banerjee’s earlier remarks, he added, “Whatever the chief minister said is absolutely correct.”
The case involves a 23-year-old second-year MBBS student from Odisha who was allegedly gang-raped near her private medical college in Durgapur on the night of October 10. According to police, the woman was returning from dinner with a friend when three men confronted her near Shobhapur, about 170 kilometers (105 miles) from Kolkata.
The accused allegedly stole her phone, dragged her into a wooded area, and raped her before demanding money to return her belongings.
West Bengal Police on Monday said two more suspects were arrested in connection with the case, bringing the total number of arrests to five. Three men had been taken into custody on October 12.
Earlier, Chief Minister Banerjee said she was “shocked” by the incident but stressed that private colleges should ensure the safety of their students. “Private medical colleges also have to take care of their students, especially the girl child. They should not be allowed to go outside at night,” she said.
Her remarks drew sharp criticism from the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress, which accused the TMC government of being insensitive to crimes against women and failing to maintain law and order in the state.