Mamata Wrong: Durgapur MBBS Student Was Assaulted at 8 pm, Not Midnight

• FIR contradicts Mamata Banerjee’s claim that the student left campus at midnight.
• 23-year-old MBBS student was gangraped around 8 pm near Durgapur medical college.
• BJP’s Agnimitra Paul likens Bengal under Mamata to “Taliban rule.”
• CPM’s Mohammed Salim slams CM’s “regressive mindset” and denial of women’s equality.
• Banerjee blames media for “distorting” her remarks as outrage mounts.

GG News Bureau
Kolkata, 13th Oct: The 23-year-old MBBS student who was gang-raped near a private medical college in West Bengal’s Durgapur did not leave the campus at midnight, contrary to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s claim. According to the FIR, based on a complaint filed by the survivor’s father, the incident occurred around 8 pm while the student was out with a college friend — not at 12.30 am.

Earlier, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had questioned how the Odisha-origin student managed to leave the campus “so late at night,” and said private medical colleges should take responsibility for student safety and their “night culture.” Her remarks triggered massive outrage, with opposition parties accusing her of victim-shaming and attempting to deflect government accountability.

“She was studying in a private medical college. Whose responsibility is it? How did she come out at 12.30 at night? They should not be allowed to come out. They have to protect themselves. It is a forest area,” Banerjee had said.

Political Reactions
BJP MLA Agnimitra Paul hit out at Banerjee, calling her remarks “insensitive and misleading.” “Like Afghanistan, West Bengal too has a Taliban government under Mamata Banerjee’s leadership. Are you saying women will be raped if they step out after midnight?” she asked, asserting that the victim had gone out only to buy food around 8 pm.

CPM state secretary Mohammed Salim also condemned the comments, asking whether Bengal was under “Taliban rule.” “This mindset is against the legacy of Raja Ram Mohan Roy and Vidyasagar. Men and women are equal — does Mamata Banerjee accept this? She always blames women, be it Park Street or any other case,” Salim said.

Amid the backlash, Banerjee defended herself, alleging that the media distorted her words. “You ask me a question, I answer it, and then you distort it. Do not try this kind of politics,” she said.

The incident has reignited debate over women’s safety and political accountability in West Bengal, with critics demanding a public apology from the Chief Minister.