A senior police officer from West Bengal has sparked controversy over remarks suggesting that women drinking alcohol during festivals are harming society.
Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Laltu Haidar, from Ranaghat Police District, made the comments while addressing a meeting with Jagaddharti Puja organisers.
The festival, dedicated to Goddess Jagaddharti, who is believed to sustain and protect the universe, is being celebrated this year on October 31.
In a video that has gone viral on social media, ASP Haidar can be heard saying, “Boys will do wrong things. Women’s job is to stop them. But now it is women who are drinking alcohol and going on rampages. This is causing harm to society.”
Haidar went on to express his disapproval over what he described as rising alcohol consumption among women during public festivities.
Recalling last year’s Kali Puja celebrations, he said, “I am ashamed to say that during the last Kali Puja, the rate of alcohol consumption was highest among young girls. They were standing on the streets and drinking. Is this the beauty of the procession? I condemn this procession.”
He further claimed that “society will go crazy” if such behaviour continues, stating, “If the women of the house become like this, the society will go crazy. Boys misbehave and women drag them back. But if those girls themselves go on rampages, then you can understand where society will go.”
His remarks have triggered widespread criticism online, with many calling them sexist and regressive. The video surfaced just days after the gang rape of a 23-year-old MBBS student near a medical college in Durgapur, a case that has already shaken the state.
Earlier this week, chief minister Mamata Banerjee had described the Durgapur incident as “shocking,” promising strict action against the offenders.
However, her own comments about the victim’s presence outside late at night also drew backlash. Banerjee had questioned why the student was out at 12:30 a.m., saying it was the college’s responsibility to ensure student safety and citing the area as a “forest region.”
