Kolkata: Amid severe criticism from all sections of society for calling the Park Street rape "a cooked-up case", West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday blamed a section of media for distorting her statement and said her initial response was based on the preliminary investigation report.
"A particular channel has distorted my version. I have never said that nothing has happened. As per the preliminary investigation, it was revealed that molestation has taken place. It was seen in the investigation that the FIR which was filed against three people initially were either not in the country or were not present at the spot at the time of the incident," said Banerjee in an interview telecast on three Bengali news channels.
The victim, a mother of two, had complained that she was raped at gunpoint on February 6 inside a moving car. She lodged the complaint on February 9. She initially accused Lavi Gidwani, Sharafat Ali and three others of raping her.
A controversy arose after police chief RK Pachnanda, while briefing the media persons on Thursday on the complaint of the rape victim, termed the entire issue as a campaign to malign police and the government.
Hours before Pachnanda's media meet, Banerjee described the matter as "cooked up" and said it was an attempt to malign the government.
On February 18, three main culprits were arrested and it was revealed that they have used the name of Gidwani and Ali.
Banerjee on Monday said that Lavi Gidwani was later found to be residing in Canada at the time of the incident.
"I have been at the child and women welfare department earlier. My question as a common person was why the medical examination was not done within 72 hours of rape. Police had told me that the women had kept on insisting the name Gidwani and Sharafat but later on through CCTV footage the main culprits were nabbed," she said.
Banerjee lauded Kolkata Police for solving the case and slammed a section of media for creating a division within the police force.
"A channel had earlier slammed the police, later on they tried to create a division within the police force. Everything will come out in the investigation," the chief minister said.
Banerjee also rubbished the opposition allegation that the law and order has gone for a toss in the state.
"Law and order of the state is in its best condition," she said.
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