By Harshita Rai
The Durgapur gang-rape of a 23-year-old MBBS student should have been a moment for collective grief, reflection, and urgent action. Instead, it has exposed a troubling pattern in West Bengal’s political leadership: victim-blaming at the highest level. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s comments suggesting that the student “came out at 12.30 am” were not just factually incorrect—they were emblematic of a mindset that repeatedly fails women.
The FIR clearly states the assault happened around 8 pm, when the student stepped out with a friend to buy food. Her safety, especially in a college campus surrounded by a forested area, should have been ensured by both the institution and the state. Yet, the focus was diverted to the victim’s actions rather than systemic failures: inadequate campus security, poor law enforcement, and the absence of preventive measures that could have averted this tragedy.
This is not an isolated case. From the infamous Park Street assault to the RG Kar hospital case, the pattern is chillingly similar: women’s rights and safety are reduced to moral judgments about their behavior, while accountability for lapses remains vague or absent. Instead of introspection, the state leadership consistently shifts the blame to victims. Such narratives do nothing but embolden perpetrators and erode public trust.
What is particularly infuriating is the cultural undertone in Banerjee’s statements—suggesting that women need to confine themselves to certain hours to remain safe. This is not leadership; this is control veiled as advice. Leadership is about protecting citizens, not policing their movements. It is about creating safe spaces for education, work, and travel, and ensuring perpetrators face swift justice.
The government must immediately overhaul campus and city safety measures, enhance police vigilance, and implement strict oversight of private institutions. Words carry power, and Banerjee’s words have sent the wrong signal: that women are responsible for crimes committed against them. Bengal’s women deserve better than lectures—they deserve protection, accountability, and a leadership that recognizes safety as a right, not a privilege.
This is a critical moment for West Bengal. Leadership must choose action over rhetoric, empathy over excuses, and accountability over blame-shifting. Anything less is a betrayal of every woman in the state.
