Female students staying in hostels must adhere to rules, mustn't venture out late at night: Mamata
Kolkata (PTI): West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday said that female boarders, especially those from outside the state, should follow hostel rules and not venture out late at night.
Banerjee made the averment after a student of a private medical college in Durgapur, hailing from Odisha, was allegedly gang-raped on Friday night when she went out with a friend for dinner.
"Students staying in hostels, especially those who have come to West Bengal to study from outside the state, are expected to follow the rules of the hostels. They should avoid venturing out late at night, although they have the fundamental right to go wherever they want.
"But the police have certain logistical limitations in monitoring the movement of every individual. Officers would not know who is leaving home at night and cannot stand guard outside every home," she said.
She was speaking to reporters at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport here before leaving for natural disaster-hit north Bengal to review relief and rehabilitation work.
Banerjee termed the incident "shocking", and said that no accused would be spared.
"This is a shocking incident... We have zero tolerance for such crimes. Three accused have been arrested and police are conducting searches for others. Nobody will be spared," she said in her first reaction to the incident.
Banerjee said that the institution of which the woman is a student of also bears responsibility for the incident.
"Private colleges must ensure security within and around their campuses," she said.
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Former minister C M Ibrahim announces to launch new regional party for Karnataka
Kalaburagi: Two years after being expelled from the Janata Dal (Secular), former minister C.M. Ibrahim has announced that he will launch a new regional political party in Karnataka on January 24, reported Deccan Herald.
Speaking at a meeting organised by the Nava Karnataka Nirmana Andolana in Kalaburagi on Sunday, Ibrahim confirmed the birth of the new party.
The 77-year-old politician stated he would soon be meeting with other like-minded individuals to choose a symbol for the party.
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Ibrahim emphasised that the organisation would be guided by the principles of 12th-century social reformer Basavanna and the architect of the Indian Constitution, Dr. B. R. Ambedkar.
A veteran politician, Ibrahim served as Union Civil Aviation Minister during the tenure of H.D. Deve Gowda as Prime Minister and later headed the Karnataka unit of the Janata Dal (Secular). He was expelled from the JD(S) in 2023 on charges of anti-party activities.
His exit from the party followed sharp differences over the JD(S) decision to ally with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). As the then state president of the JD(S), Ibrahim had publicly criticised the alliance, claiming it was finalised without his knowledge. He had also reportedly convened meetings of his supporters and expressed support for the INDIA bloc.
