Kolkata: After a video where two women were seen being disrobed and beaten by a group of women in Malda went viral, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has criticised it strongly.
Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader and minister Shashi Panja said that police had taken suo muto cognizance of the incident and it is being probed.
"This happened in a haat (rural market) inside a village, Pakuahat. There was a case of theft and people thought that the two women had committed the theft. This led to a scuffle with other women,” he said.
The TMC minister also mentioned, "All of them are poor. Yes, the women were somehow disrobed. There is no point in politicising the incident. The woman civic volunteer tried to stop the fury but she got overpowered."
Women in Bengal are 'afraid'
Slamming the incident and Shashi Panja's comment Union Minister Anurag Thakur claimed that women in Bengal are 'afraid'.
"In Bengal there is Mamata Banerjee's government. In a government led by a woman and Shashi Panja also being a woman, how can she comment like this? Where is Mamata's 'Mamata'? Our fact finding team had visited Bengal and even they were scared to see the situation of women there," said Thakur.
Another Union Minister, Smriti Irani taking a dig at the incident added, "Congress is silent as they are in alliance with TMC. They can't even see or hear the violence in Bengal."
Incidentally, according to local people the incident took place three to four days back in Malda and following the incident both the women were arrested. State BJP president Sukanta Majumdar slamming the incident said that the "victims got arrested but not the culprits".
Crimes against women rise in Bengal
Congress state president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury stated that Bengal is in number 5 in crime against women.
Incidentally, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee during her July 21 speech had taken potshots at BJP led Central government over the Manipur issue and also expressed her desire to visit Manipur along with her other counterparts.
"I had a word with Arvind (Kejriwal) and if some other Chief Ministers are willing then we can go to Manipur," Mamata had said on Friday.
