Odisha BJP MP Pratap Chandra Sarangi on Tuesday criticized West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for her remarks concerning the female boarders venturing out late at night. Sarangi also met the ‘gangrape’ survivor in the hospital in West Bengal’s Paschim Bardhaman.
After meeting the girl, Sarangi claimed that the Chief Minister’s statements—which questioned why the female boarder was out late—were made solely “to protect the criminals.”
The second-year medical student from Odisha’s Jaleswar was allegedly raped outside her private college campus on Friday night while getting dinner with a friend. Police have arrested six people in connection with the crime.
Sarangi, who arrived in Durgapur in the afternoon today with a team of BJP workers, was earlier reportedly stopped by the hospital’s security personnel, leading to an argument between the two sides.
Despite this, the BJP MP from Balasore, along with a few party workers from Balasore, met the girl in the hospital in the afternoon.
“Today, I checked with the authorities, and they told me that the victim had gone out within the permissible time. Then how could the Bengal CM claim she was out at 12:30 at night? How could she make such a statement? This is only to protect the criminals,” Sarangi alleged.
“I have seen our daughter inside the hospital. She is suffering from severe mental and physical trauma,” the parliamentarian told reporters.
Banerjee had on Sunday said, “She was studying in a private medical college. Whose responsibility is it? How did she come out at 12.30 at night? Students staying in hostels, especially those who have come to West Bengal to study from outside, are expected to follow the rules of the hostels.”
“They should avoid venturing out late at night, although they have the fundamental right to go wherever they want,” she said.
The BJP MP said the medical student, who came to another state to pursue her dreams, had to face an incident ‘that is nothing less than inhuman’.
“We have seen a similar incident when a doctor was gangraped in the RG Kar hospital. This incident should have made Mamata Banerjee’s blood boil. Instead, she is giving out such statements,” Sarangi asserted.
