BJD Condemns Gang Rape, Accuses BJP of Silence

The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has issued a strong condemnation over the gang rape of a medical student from Odisha in West Bengal's Durgapur. The party criticized the Odisha BJP government, alleging a lack of prompt response to similar sexual assault cases within the state, contrasting it with swift action in West Bengal.

The BJD highlighted that the National Commission for Women (NCW) and the State Women's Commission were absent during Odisha's incidents but quick to visit Durgapur. The party stated that over 37,000 crimes against women were recorded in Odisha over the past 14 months, citing several incidents that garnered national headlines.

In the political fallout, Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida reported the NCW's intervention in the Durgapur case, while the current silence of Odisha's Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik faced criticism from both the BJP's Mahila Morcha president and Congress leaders. Women's groups held demonstrations demanding justice and condemned regressive remarks by West Bengal's Chief Minister.

(With inputs from agencies.)