West Bengal minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Swapan Debnath has sparked a new controversy by saying that families should see what their daughters are doing during the ‘Reclaim the Night’ movement. Debnath made this statement while referring to an alleged incident of a protester drinking alcohol with men during the movement.
The Animal Resources Development Minister said that the state government is blamed for any untoward incident but the responsibility of ensuring the safety of women is of everyone. The ruling Trinamool Congress, however, has distanced itself from the minister’s remarks.
In a purported video, Debnath was seen addressing a gathering in Purba Bardhaman district on Wednesday, in which he referred to seeing a woman and two men allegedly drinking beer at a hotel during the recent ‘Reclaim the Night’ movement in his assembly constituency Purbasthali.
He said, ‘What if something untoward had happened to the woman? Our people were monitoring at that time. But what if they were not around? My advice to parents, your daughter went to join the protest. It’s okay. But later, she was seen drinking alcohol. We informed you (parents) to take her home, we also asked the police to ensure her safety.’
Debnath said she has requested hotel owners in her area not to sell alcohol to women after midnight. Urging parents to be more vigilant, she said, “Your daughter went to protest demanding safety for other women. But do keep an eye on what she is doing outside after midnight.”
He said, “The state will have to be held accountable for any untoward incident. We are certainly responsible for the safety of women. But those who are outside are also responsible.”
‘PTI-Bhasha’ does not confirm the authenticity of this video viral on social media.
As the controversy over Debnath’s remarks escalated, senior TMC leader Kunal Ghosh said the party does not support such remarks. He said, “We cannot dictate the behaviour of any person, be it a man or a woman. Whether she should drink alcohol or not or where she will go.” Ghosh said, “But the concern for a woman’s safety in Swapan Debnath’s remarks should not be ignored.”