A fresh controversy erupted on Tuesday after TMC minister Manas Bhuiyan purportedly compared the alleged rape of a law student as a “small incident”.

Speaking at a Doctor’s Day blood donation camp in Kolkata, Bhuiyan said, “No culprit of the Pahalgam incident has been arrested. Whenever a small incident happens in Bengal, controversy starts.”

He was referring to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir in which 26 men, mostly tourists, were gunned down by terrorists.

As the TMC leader’s remarks went viral, Bhuiyan in a statement said that his words were taken out of context and that he “strongly condemned” the law college rape incident.

Seizing on his “small incident remark”, state BJP president and Union minister Sukanta Majumdar said, “One after another, TMC leaders are making such statements. It speaks volumes about their character.”

BJP’s Jagannath Chattopadhyay called it “a matter of shame,” while CPI(M) leader Shatarup Ghosh accused the TMC of shielding its workers, pointing out that the main suspects in the campus rape belong to the party’s student wing.

The TMC, however, defended Bhuiyan, saying his comment was unrelated to the law college case and aimed at broader law-and-order debates.

“Bhuiyan’s comments have been twisted and linked to the rape incident,” a TMC spokesperson said.

Clarifying his remark, Bhuiyan said, “Our party and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee do not tolerate such crimes. I oppose and condemn the Kasba (rape) incident in the strongest terms. I would like to clarify that my previous comments were not related to the Kasba incident. They have been misrepresented and linked to the unfortunate incident in an attempt to malign and defame me. I reiterate – I strongly condemn this incident.”

Bhuiyan’s controversy follows a string of contentious remarks made by TMC leaders, including Kamarhati MLA Madan Mitra and MP Kalyan Banerjee.