Reacting to the gangrape of a medical student in West Bengal's Durgapur, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday made a controversial remark suggesting that girls "should not be allowed" to go outside college at night.
Banerjee, however, later alleged that her comments were taken out of context.
Speaking to reporters at Kolkata airport, Mamata called the incident "shocking" and said no accused would be spared.
"This is a shocking incident...We have zero tolerance for such crimes. Three accused have been arrested and police are conducting search for others. Nobody will be spared," she said.
The student, from Jaleswar in Odisha's Balasore district, was allegedly raped by several men in Durgapur, police said on Saturday. The incident occurred outside the private medical college campus on Friday night, when the second-year student went out with a friend for dinner.
In her first reaction, Banerjee criticised the institution for letting the girls go out at night, saying: "She was studying in a private medical college. Whose responsibility is it? How did she come out at 12.30 am?... The girls should not be allowed to go outside (college) at night. They have to protect themselves also."
"Students staying in hostels, especially those from outside West Bengal, are expected to follow hostel rules. They should avoid venturing out late at night, although they have the fundamental right to go wherever they want," the chief minister added.
"But the police have certain logistical limitations in monitoring the movement of every individual. Officers would not know who is leaving home at night and cannot stand guard outside every home," she said.
Banerjee also held the college partly responsible. "Private colleges must ensure security within and around their campuses," she said.
Speaking to reporters later Banerjee said, "My address at Dum Dum airport has been deliberately distorted. You ask me a question, and when I answer, my words are twisted and taken out of context. Do not try this nasty politics with me.
Unlike others, I have the decency to meet you and speak directly. Others merely respond to pre-decided questions."
Meanwhile, three people were arrested and another detained on Sunday for their alleged involvement in the gangrape, police said. The identities of the three arrested were not disclosed.
"We arrested three persons in connection with the case this morning. They are being questioned. This is a very sensitive case and we will give out further details later," a police officer told PTI.
Sources said the mobile phones of the accused were seized.
Police on Sunday cordoned off the crime spot, a jungle adjacent to the Paranaganj Kali Bari cremation ground.
Massive search operations were being conducted in villages around the private medical college in Durgapur, with drones deployed to search the nearby jungles, the officer said.
Meanwhile, the father of the 23-year-old Dalit woman appealed to the Odisha government to shift her to Bhubaneswar for treatment, citing threats to her life.
Her parents, residents of Jaleswar in Balasore district, rushed to West Bengal after being informed about the incident.
"I appeal to Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi to help shift my daughter to Bhubaneswar. I fear that her life may be in danger," her father told PTI.
"They (not taking any name) will kill my daughter. Her health condition has improved, but there is danger to her life. I cannot trust them," he said.
The second-year MBBS student is currently undergoing treatment at a hospital in Durgapur.
