The survivor of the gang-rape in Park Street area in a moving car in 2011 alleged she was denied entry into a restaurant-cum-pub late on Saturday night.
“The bouncer at the restaurant initially denied entry to me and called for the manager. The manager then told me that I would not be allowed inside as I was the Park Street rape victim. I was humiliated not only in front of my friend but also in front of others who were in a queue to get inside. Why was I shamed for being a rape survivor?” the woman said over telephone on Sunday.
Ever since the incident in 2011, the West Bengal government had issued directions to restaurants, pubs, hotels and discos to down shutters by midnight. However, when the incident occurred on Saturday, it was close to midnight.
“The restaurant was still open at 12.30 a.m. A few journalists had also come down and wanted to speak to the manager who misbehaved with them. Soon after, they shut the restauraRt,” the woman said and added that she has not yet lodged a police complaint.
Denying the charges, restaurant manager Dipten Banerjee told a news channel that he had denied permission to the woman as she would create a commotion inside the restaurant.
“She’s a regular customer who had earlier come with different men and created ruckus in a drunken state. I have video footage to prove it. Hence, I restricted her entry,” Mr. Banerjee said.
Rubbishing the manager’s version, the woman said she had visited the restaurant only once “many months back” and said he was making stories about her.
Choosing to remain tight-lipped about the incident, officer in-charge at the Kalighat Police Station Mahadeb Chakraborty said the police reached the spot at 2.05 a.m. after getting reports of “some trouble”. Admitting that some journalists were involved in a “verbal spat” with the restaurant authorities, he declined to comment on why the woman was refused entry.
