Police cases against Roopa Ganguly, Dilip Ghosh

Kolkata, July 15 (IANS) Police cases were lodged on Saturday against BJP Rajya Sabha member Roopa Ganguly and party's West Bengal unit chief Dilip Ghosh for making controversial remarks about women safety in the state and targeting Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee respectively.

On Friday, actor-turned-politician Ganguly had said if people from outside send their wives and daughters to the state, they won't "survive" even 15 days without getting raped.

"I will tell people of India and politicians, everyone who supports Trinamool Congress including some Congress leaders... send their wives and daughters to Bengal without taking hospitality of Mamata Banerjee, if they are able to survive there for 15 days without getting raped, then tell me," she had said at a programme.

Reacting angrily, state Power Minister and senior Trinamool Congress leader Sovandeb Chatterjee said: "She calls herself a cultural personality, and makes such comments. Whatever she has said has damaged Bengal's image."

On Saturday, a police complaint was filed at Nimta police station in North 24 Parganas district against Ganguly for public mischief and criminal intimidation.

But she remained unperturbed.

"There is no question of withdrawing my comments. In fact, I displayed lenience when I talked of '15 days'," she said.

Meanwhile, addressing a public meeting in his constituency Kharagpur, Ghosh virtually challenged the Chief Minister to take action against him.

"If you have the guts, then try and touch Dilip Ghosh. I will bring Bengal to standstill... What have you seen in Darjeeling? Your house will be torched," he said.

On Saturday, a local Trinamool leader handed out a letter to the Kolkata police complaining against Ghosh.