West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s recent remarks on safety guidelines for women students staying in hostels, made in the aftermath of the Durgapur rape case, have sparked widespread outrage. Women — including students and working professionals — have argued that safety should not translate into a ‘curfew’ as such restrictions are not helpful but ‘regressive and patriarchal’.
“I am shocked to see the incident. But private medical colleges also take care of their students, especially the girl child in the nighttime. They should not be allowed to come out in the outside (sic). They have to protect themselves also,” the West Bengal CM had said, referring to the rape case that took place on Friday night.
According to media reports, a 23-year-old second-year student from a private medical college in Durgapur was allegedly gang-raped in a wooded area near the college. The Durgapur police have arrested five accused in the case.
Working women and students tell My Kolkata no one should tell women to stay indoors at night.
‘The system should ensure that every woman can walk freely, anytime’
“I firmly believe that safety shouldn’t mean restriction. If women aren’t safe outside at 12.30am, the problem isn’t that we’re walking — it’s that predators are. Instead of telling us to ‘stay inside’, the system should ensure that every woman can walk freely, anytime, anywhere.
This kind of statement shifts the blame to the victim. It’s deeply regressive. Leaders should be encouraging safer environments, not implying that women are at fault for stepping out. Safety is a right, not a curfew.
It is important to understand that real empowerment means freedom with security — not freedom with conditions.”
— Asmita Mitra, 26, High Court advocate
‘It’s not about why and when she was out, it’s about the predators who commit these crimes’
“Are we moving backwards in time? Are we sure our goal is progress? If so, questioning why a woman was out at night, is surely not helping. She may be out because she has work or she is travelling or simply taking a stroll. How can enjoying one’s basic freedoms jeopardise one’s safety? Instead of moral-policing women and telling them when they should stay home, the government needs to ensure that these criminals are put behind bars at the earliest possible. It is because justice is delayed and denied that predators still have the audacity to commit these crimes. At the end, they know that it is the woman who will get blamed.
As a student, sometimes, I have to work on assignments and I get delayed at university. On some days, I return home at 10pm. Should I stop working because potential criminals are about? Should I keep myself cooped up at home to ‘ensure’ my safety because the government has not taken proactive measures yet?”
— Sukanya Dey, 26, postgraduate student
‘Real empowerment begins when women can move freely… and live without fear’
“I think safety means empowering women, not imprisoning them behind a curfew. Real empowerment begins when women can move freely, study, work, and live without fear. If we truly want to empower women, we must first ensure their safety — not by restricting their movement, but by making our public spaces safer, our mindset more progressive, and our systems more accountable. Holding women behind curfews is never the solution.”
— Sweta Roy, 26, language teacher
‘It is a band-aid solution that does not address the real issue’
“As a working professional, I think it is a band-aid solution that does not address the real issue of creating a safe and respectful environment for women to exist in. Curfews are a violation of women's rights to move freely and it does not address the root cause of safety issues. Instead, it perpetuates unequal gender norms. The chief minister's comments raises concerns about restricting individual freedom rather than focussing on creating a more equitable and secure environment for women in the state.”
— Madhushree Guha, 28, Income Tax Department, Ministry of Finance
‘Statements like this only push us backwards’
“It’s completely against women’s rights. First of all, our country has laws that clearly say you should capture the criminal, not the victim. Safety can never mean controlling women or limiting their freedom. It’s shocking and disappointing to hear such a comment, especially from a woman leader who should be standing up for women’s independence. As a society, we need to stop treating women like they are responsible for the crimes committed against them. Instead, we must focus on strict law enforcement, better policing, and changing the mindset that blames women for what they wear or when they step out. Statements like this only push us backwards when we should be moving towards equality, respect, and genuine safety for all.”
— Tuli Mukherjee, 21, dental student
‘Harassment doesn't follow a clock, it can happen any time’
“It doesn’t matter when this is happening — harassment can occur at any hour. People often say women should avoid going out late at night, but what about the incidents that happen in broad daylight? I was once harassed in a crowded public place, in the middle of the day. So does that mean women should stop going out in the morning too? Instead of asking women to adjust their lives around the fear of crime, we should be teaching people to respect boundaries and enforce stricter punishment for criminals. Safety doesn’t come from limiting women’s movement; it comes from changing the mindset that excuses such behaviour. Every woman deserves the freedom to step out whenever she wants without being made to feel unsafe.”
— Satarupa Banerjee, 27, graphics designer
‘Restricting girls' movement at night is a retreat, not a solution’
“The assertion that girls should not go out of the hostel at night often masks a retreat from responsibility rather than a genuine move toward security. While maintaining disciplinary decorum is a non-negotiable standard for any residential institution — a standard that must apply equally to all genders — a policy that singles out and restricts only women is not decorum; it is gender discrimination disguised as protection.”
— Bipasha De, teacher, Loreto Day School