West Bengal: Mamata Banerjee slammed by women’s panel chief over remarks on gangrape case

Amid row over the alleged gang-rape and death of a minor in West Bengal's Nadia, the National Commission for Women (NCW) chairperson Rekha Sharma slammed the Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, for her remarks on the case calling the remark "unfortunate", according to news agency ANI report.

The NCW chief Rekha Sharma told ANI on Tuesday, "her (WB CM Mamata Banerjee's) statement over the incident is very unfortunate. Being a woman, she should understand the pain of another woman. She pointed fingers at the victim, it was wrong." 

This comes in the wake of the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday questioning if the girl was actually raped or had a love affair that got her pregnant. "How do you know if she was raped? The police are yet to ascertain the cause of the death. I had asked them. Was she pregnant or had a love affair or was sick? Even family knew it was a love affair. If a couple is in a relationship, how can I stop them?" the chief minister said.

West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Monday sought a response from the state government over the alleged gang rape and death of a 14-year-old girl in the Nadia district's Hanskhali. The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday granted permission to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to probe the Hanskhali rape case.

Earlier this month, a 14-year-old girl died after she was allegedly gang-raped in West Bengal's Nadia district. The victim's family accused the son of a Trinamool Congress panchayat leader in the case. A case under sections 376(2)(G) (gangrape), 302 (murder), 204 (tampering with evidence) of the IPC and relevant sections of the POCSO) Act was registered in the case. 

(With inputs from agencies)