Kolkata: The remark by West Bengal's first woman Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee regarding the alleged gang rape of a woman as being a "fabricated" story has outraged many civil society activists and eminent people in the city.
Known as a relatively safe place for women, the incident is a blot on Kolkata's law and order situation.
Cabinet minister Madan Mitra's comment has added fuel to the fire. Mitra questioned the character of women who drink in nightclubs. "Why did a woman with kids at home, who is separated from her husband, go to a nightclub? For all you know, she may still be drinking at a club," he said during a panel discussion on a local television channel.
"This monolithic attitude of the government and its ministers is shocking and makes us believe that we are still in the Stone Age," said Debjani Chatterjee, a social activist and lawyer.
"Dragging the character of a woman in rape cases in absolutely unlawful. There is a Supreme Court ruling on this," she added.
The alleged rape victim, who is a mother of two and a call centre employee, claimed she was raped at gunpoint while coming out of an upmarket nightclub in the early hours of February 6 when she was offered a lift by an acquaintance. As the car was about to start, more people entered it, and she was raped inside the moving vehicle and then thrown out onto the street. Police have now arrested three of the culprits and a gang rape case has been filed.
Nonchalant
"When we first filed our report, the police officers were nonchalant about it and considered as if we were joking," said the civil society group which helped the woman register the complaint.
Speaking to Gulf News, Deputy Commissioner of City Police (Crime) Damayanti Sen said: "Initially there was lots of disparity in the versions of the woman and specially since she was fooled by the victims as they gave her false names which created further confusion. But slowly we are unravelling the whole scene and will soon come to a conclusion."
"There were no women police officers in the Park Street police station and the officers present were passing lewd remarks at us and were trying to give us a moral lesson on dress code and the decency of Indian women," alleged a member of the civil group.
Eminent personalities are planning to organise a candlelit vigil this week. "The case itself is horrific and adding to the vulgarity is the statement made by the people who are in power especially when the chief minister is a woman," said writer Bani Basu.
