The Odisha government on Monday termed West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's advice to female boarders to not venture out late at night as "disappointing." Odisha's Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida, who is also in charge of the Women and Child Development department, strongly denounced Banerjee's advice to female boarders not to go out at night.

"A woman leader like Mamata Banerjee, who is known as 'Didi' (elder sister) and a female chief minister, has disappointed women with her statement that girls should not go out at night. Her statement has surprised not only me but also the four crore ninety lakh women of West Bengal. Her statement has astonished and insulted all women," Parida said in a post on X.

"Instead of delivering justice to the victim, the West Bengal CM has no right to bring gender inequality and raise questions on the rights of girls. Moreover, if you have no sympathy for an Odia girl victim, then let them write to the Odisha government. We can understand the matter of our children even in your state," Parida said, adding that it is "extremely condemnable not to feel ashamed." "If girls do not expect empathy, safety, and rights from a female chief minister, then from whom will they seek it?" she asked in the social media post.

Banerjee on Sunday said, "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." 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.

The Odisha DyCM in another post said, "Women empowerment is not only a scheme; it is a commitment to the cause." Earlier, a team of the Odisha State Commission for Women, headed by its chairperson, Sovana Mohanty, on Monday left for West Bengal to meet the medical student who was undergoing treatment at a hospital in Durgapur after her alleged gang rape on Friday evening.

Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Telegraph Online staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.