• Source:JND
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West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee sparked a controversy on Sunday after she suggested that colleges should stop women from venturing out in the dark. The chief minister’s remark came in the backdrop of the gangrape of an MBBS student in Durgapur. 

Speaking at a press briefing, Mamata Banerjee questioned why the victim was allowed to leave college premises after 12.30 AM. “She was studying in a private medical college. Whose responsibility is it? How did she come out at 12.30 am? The girls should not be allowed to go outside (college) at night,” she said.

In what was perceived as a questionable remark, Banerjee said, “They (girls) have to protect themselves also. There is a forest area.” 

The chief minister further assured that the Bengal police is searching for the accused everywhere and that no person who is involved in this crime will be spared.

ALSO READ: Durgapur Gangrape Case: Victim's Father Expresses Concern Over Her Safety In Bengal, Decides To Take Her Back To Odisha

What Happened In Durgapur?

A medical student was gangraped at a private medical college, IQ City Medical College in Durgapur, West Bengal. The survivor belonged to Jaleshwar, Odisha. 

According to her father, the incident took place when she had stepped out with a classmate to eat something. Two or three men appeared out of the dark and raped her. The classmate, he said, “abandoned her and fled".

ALSO READ: West Bengal Shocker: MBBS Student, Out For Dinner With Friend, Gangraped In Durgapur

“At 10 PM, her friend called us and said that your daughter had been raped. We live in Jaleshwar. My daughter was studying here. Yesterday, one of her classmates took her out on the pretext of getting something to eat, but when two or three other men arrived, he abandoned her and fled. They raped her… This incident occurred between 8:00 and 9:00 PM. The hostel was far away, and she had come here to eat. The security arrangements are not sufficient… Such a serious incident occurred, but no action has been taken. There is no system here, no response…" the student’s father told reporters.

The West Bengal Police have so far arrested three people and detained one another related to the case. The arrested accused, all locals, have been identified as Apu Bauri (21), Firdos Sekh (23) and Sekh Reajuddin (31).