NEW DELHI: After facing backlash over her remarks on the Durgapur gang-rape case , West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday said her comments were “distorted” by the media.
Also Read - 'Girls have to protect themselves': Mamata's shocker in MBBS student rape case; vows strict action against guilty
“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,” news agency ANI quoted her as saying in Alipurduar, where she was visiting flood- and landslide-hit areas in north Bengal.
Earlier in the day, speaking to reporters at Kolkata airport before departing for north Bengal, Banerjee had remarked that "girls should avoid going out late at night."
"The girl was studying in a private medical college. How she came out at night at 12:30? So far I know, it (the incident) happened in a forest area. Investigation is on. I'm shocked to see the incident, but private medical colleges should also take care of their students. Especially, the girls should not be allowed to come outside at night-time. They (female students) have to protect themselves also," she told reporters.
Also Read - Bengal 'gang rape' horror: BJP leaders stopped from meeting victim; spar with cops
The remarks sparked a furious backlash, with the opposition BJP, in particular, targeting the chief minister.
BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla targeted the Congress over its silence on the issue, saying, “Will the outrage lobby who was shouting yesterday — Supriya Shrinate, Priyanka Vadra, Rahul Gandhi, etc. — open their mouths now?”
Poonawalla was referring to the controversy over the exclusion of female journalists from Friday's press conference of visiting Afghan foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.
Another BJP spokesperson, Gaurav Bhatia, accused Banerjee of indulging in “victim-blaming.”
“Shameless @MamataOfficial, a blot on womanhood, even more for being a CM. After RG Kar and Sandeshkhali, now this horrific case of rape and instead of justice, she blames the victim,” Bhatia wrote on social media, referring to two recent high-profile cases of crimes against women in West Bengal.
He also demanded that Banerjee “resign” and “be held accountable under the law.”
Also Read - 'Girls have to protect themselves': Mamata's shocker in MBBS student rape case; vows strict action against guilty
“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,” news agency ANI quoted her as saying in Alipurduar, where she was visiting flood- and landslide-hit areas in north Bengal.
Alipurduar | On her statement that women should not be allowed to go out at night, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee clarifies, "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..." https://t.co/6aGsFXr9Oa pic.twitter.com/0mvOW2G7UC
— ANI (@ANI) October 12, 2025
Earlier in the day, speaking to reporters at Kolkata airport before departing for north Bengal, Banerjee had remarked that "girls should avoid going out late at night."
"The girl was studying in a private medical college. How she came out at night at 12:30? So far I know, it (the incident) happened in a forest area. Investigation is on. I'm shocked to see the incident, but private medical colleges should also take care of their students. Especially, the girls should not be allowed to come outside at night-time. They (female students) have to protect themselves also," she told reporters.
Also Read - Bengal 'gang rape' horror: BJP leaders stopped from meeting victim; spar with cops
The remarks sparked a furious backlash, with the opposition BJP, in particular, targeting the chief minister.
BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla targeted the Congress over its silence on the issue, saying, “Will the outrage lobby who was shouting yesterday — Supriya Shrinate, Priyanka Vadra, Rahul Gandhi, etc. — open their mouths now?”
Poonawalla was referring to the controversy over the exclusion of female journalists from Friday's press conference of visiting Afghan foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.
Another BJP spokesperson, Gaurav Bhatia, accused Banerjee of indulging in “victim-blaming.”
“Shameless @MamataOfficial, a blot on womanhood, even more for being a CM. After RG Kar and Sandeshkhali, now this horrific case of rape and instead of justice, she blames the victim,” Bhatia wrote on social media, referring to two recent high-profile cases of crimes against women in West Bengal.
He also demanded that Banerjee “resign” and “be held accountable under the law.”
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