'Comments twisted by media', says Bengal Minister after facing backlash over Kasba incident remarks

Kolkata, July 1 (IANS) After facing flak for calling the Kasba law college student rape case as a "minor" incident on Tuesday, the West Bengal Irrigation Minister Manas Ranjan Bhunia, while addressing a press conference, said that his comments, which were in no way linked to the incident, were twisted by a section of the media.

"Our party (Trinamool Congress) strongly condemns the Kasba incident. I also strongly condemn it. The police have taken prompt action and made immediate arrests. Our Chief Minister does not tolerate such incidents. I would like to clarify that my previous comments were not related to the Kasba incident. They have been misrepresented and linked to the unfortunate incident in an attempt to malign and defame me. I reiterate -- I strongly condemn this incident," the Minister said.

Controversies have shrouded over the incident of the law student being raped within her college premises at Kasba in Kolkata last week.

Earlier on Tuesday, while speaking at the sidelines of the programme of medical practitioners, Bhunia said that any "small" incident in West Bengal is often blown out of proportion.

When the media persons specifically asked which incident he was referring as a "small" one, Bhunia said: "Everything. Lots of incidents take place throughout the country. The terrorists involved in the tourist massacre at Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam are yet to be arrested. But in Bengal, any small incident is blown out of proportion. Our Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee takes care of everything. In the case of R.G. Kar rape and murder incident, the Central Bureau of Investigation could not progress an inch more than the actions taken by the state administration."

His remarks attracted strong criticism from BJP leaders.

BJP's IT Cell Chief and the party's central observer for West Bengal, Amit Malviya, issued a statement on Tuesday claiming that when the entire nation reels in horror over the unspeakable brutality inflicted upon the 24-year-old law aspirant, Trinamool Congress leaders were busy normalising rape to earn brownie points from the Chief Minister.

"First, Trinamool Congress leader Madan Mitra, infamous for his own vulgarities, blamed the victim for her fate! Then, sitting MP Kalyan Banerjee followed, trivialising the incident with the absurd remark: "What can be done if a friend rapes a friend?" Now, State Irrigation Minister Manas Bhunia, another face of this depraved regime, brushed off the atrocity as a "small incident" and urged party workers to ignore it and move forward -- drawing strength from Mamata Banerjee's silence and tacit approval," Malviya said in the statement.

--IANS

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