Bengal Police Officer Sparks Outrage with Controversial Statements About Women's Behavior and Alcohol Consumption

Additional Superintendent of Police Laltu Haldar has become the center of controversy following his remarks about women's behavior.

A viral social media video has sparked outrage after capturing a West Bengal police officer making contentious statements regarding women in society. The footage shows Additional Superintendent Laltu Haldar of Ranaghat Police District in Nadia expressing problematic views during an official gathering.

In the recorded clip, Haldar states that women are now "going on rampages" and "drinking alcohol." His comments continued with the assertion, "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." These statements were made during a meeting with organizers of Jagadhatri Puja, a major festival celebrated throughout West Bengal.

Expanding on his viewpoint, Haldar expressed being "ashamed" after witnessing young women consuming alcohol during previous year's Kali Puja processions. He declared, "I am ashamed to say that during the last Kali Puja, we have seen that the rate of taking alcohol in the procession is the highest among young girls. Girls are standing on the streets and drinking alcohol. Is this the beauty of the procession? I condemn this procession."

The officer further stated, "If the women of the house become like this, the society will go crazy. Boys misbehave and women will drag them from behind. But if those girls are the ones who commit the rampages, then you can understand where the society will go." According to police sources, no disciplinary action has been initiated against Haldar for these controversial remarks.

This incident emerges amid a broader conversation about women's safety in West Bengal, particularly following recent public outrage over the gang rape of a 23-year-old MBBS student near a medical college in Durgapur.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had previously faced criticism for her response to the Durgapur case, where she appeared to shift responsibility for student safety to private institutions. She had questioned, "She was studying in a private medical college. Whose responsibility is it? How did she come out at 12.30 at night?" Banerjee suggested that private medical colleges should take responsibility for their students and the "culture at night," adding that "They should not be allowed to come out. They have to protect themselves. It is a forest area."