Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Aug 18: All does not seem to be well within the West Bengal ruling party Trinamool Congress with various party leaders speaking in different tones criticising the Mamata Banerjee administration over the handling of the horrific rape and murder of the trainee postgraduate doctor at the RG Kr Medical College and Hospital in the heart of Kolkata, even as the Supreme Court on Sunday took suo motu cognisance of the incident that has shaken the conscience of the country.
A bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud will hear the matter on Tuesday. According to the cause list of August 20 uploaded on the apex court website, the bench headed by the CJI is scheduled to hear on Tuesday a matter titled ‘In Re: Alleged rape and murder incident of a trainee doctor in RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata and related issue.’
On Thursday, two lawyers practicing in the Supreme Court Advocates Ujjawal Gaur and Rohit Pandey wrote the letter to the CJI, saying to take suo motu cognizance of the incident, for it is the need of the hour that the highest court of the land intervenes with the urgency and gravity that this situation demands.
“The nation looks to the judiciary as the ultimate guardian of justice, the last refuge for those whose cries have been silenced by brutality. The victim in this case, a young doctor whose life was dedicated to serving others, deserves nothing less than the full measure of justice that our legal system can provide. Her death must not be in vain, it must galvanize us to act, to ensure that no other woman suffers such a fate,” stated the letter.
In Kolkata, a question is doing rounds over the leadership of Ms Banerjee who was believed to be the unquestioned leader of the party. But the horrific incident and the nation-wide widespread protest seems to have shaken the confidence of a section of the partymen in the leadership.
Various leaders have started to question and criticise the steps taken by the administration in the wake of the rape and murder of the trainee doctor on August 9 and the subsequent vandalism on August 14. Another question being raised is over the silence of TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee in the day-to-day activities of the party amid the situation.
TMC leader Kunal Ghosh posted on X on Saturday afternoon: “Left, Congress doing conspiracy. We will fight it under Mamata Banerjee’s leadership. We need to correct certain mistakes and we will fight, but we need Abhishek Banerjee to be active.”
The day after the hospital was vandalised on August 14 midnight, Abhishek, on X, asked the administration to arrest all those behind it. “The hooliganism and vandalism at RG Kar tonight have exceeded all acceptable limits. As a public representative, I just spoke with @CPKolkata , urging him to ensure that every individual responsible for today’s violence is identified, held accountable, and made to face the law within the next 24 hours, regardless of their political affiliations. The demands of the protesting doctors are fair and justified. This is the minimum they should expect from the government. Their safety and security must be prioritized,” he wrote.
However, he was not seen at the rally in which TMC chief and West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee demanded capital punishment for the rape-murder accused.
Sources inside TMC say that after the Lok Sabha polls, it is clear that the TMC has done badly in urban areas. Abhishek wanted non-performers in the party or administration to be removed, said sources. Abhishek later went for an eye check-up. Since then, he has been vocal in Parliament and his own constituency, but not inside the party. There has always been a difference of opinion between a section of seniors and juniors.
Sources inside the party said as the party faces Assembly polls in 2026, they will have baggage of 15 years of anti-incumbency. “Good governance can only help the party to do well. There are problems of administration which might belittle the party,” say those close to Abhishek.
While speaking to the media, Abhishek has been demanding that the Centre should bring in a law to hang the culprit if there is circumstantial evidence. Sources, however, said the posts are not strategy advice. Ghosh said “We want him to be active.”
He is staying inactive owing to the wrong steps of administration and behaviour of senior leaders, say party insiders. In RG Kar incident, too, certain leaders had made comments questioning the government.
AT least three key party leaders have taken different stances. According to sources, TMC leader Santanu Sen always had a problem with RG Kar Hospital principal Dr Sandip Ghosh. The doctor was so powerful that Sen, even though a leader from the area, had to fight with him to get political space in the hospital. After the rape and murder, Sen raised questions on Dr Ghosh. Not only that, he also mentioned that certain information does not reach CM Mamata Banerjee. Just after that he was removed from the post of spokesman.
TMC leader Kunal Ghosh had strong words against the government. He said Dr Sandip Ghosh should be removed from his present position, pointing out three mistakes of the TMC.
First, Dr Ghosh should not have been reinstated. Second, the hospital should have properly communicated with the woman’s parents without trying to suppress. Infrastructure work should not have started opposite the crime scene, he said.
As the East Bengal versus Mohun Bagan match was put on hold in Kolkata on Sunday, stating the police cannot give sufficient force, Ghosh criticized the move. “If anybody would have come with justice placards, they could have come. Why was the derby stopped,” he asked.
Another TMC veteran and Rajya Sabha MP, Sukhendu Shekhar Roy was hurt with the incident. He sat on a ‘dharna’ alone on August 14, when women protested for justice. He also wrote to Home Minister Amit Shah about the incident.
Finally he wrote on X and requested the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to interrogate principal and Kolkata commissioner in custody. Roy has been summoned by police for writing factually incorrect stuff.
To which Kunal Ghosh wrote on X: “I also demand justice in RG Kar case. But strongly oppose this demand regarding CP. After he got information, he tried his best. Personally, the CP was doing his job and investigation was in a positive focus. This kind of post is unfortunate, that too from my senior leader.”
Taking benefits of the different voices emerging from the ruling party, the opposition BJP has attacked the Mamata Banerjee leadership and demanded her resignation. The BJP leader Sukanto Majumdar posted on X: “TMC, even your own members admit that Sandip Ghosh and CP Vineet Goyal are involved in more than just the horrific rape and murder of a young doctor. This state machinery has sunk to new lows, with party members now questioning the extent of this government’s downfall. #MamataResign.”
Meanwhile, the parents of the victim said they had lost trust in Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee after seeing the way the police handled the case. The Central Bureau of Investigation is at least making an effort, her father said. He also said he has handed a page of his daughter’s diary to the CBI, but refused to discuss its contents.
“Early on I had full faith in her, but now no. She is asking for justice but what is she saying that for? She can take charge of that, she is doing nothing,” he said when asked about the investigation conducted by the state.
“They are saying ‘We want justice’. But those of the general public who are saying the same thing, they are trying to lock them up,” he said, without referring to the lathi-charge on supporters at a football match, who raised “We want justice” slogans.
For the rest of the state’s residents, the woman’s mother had a word of advice: “All the schemes by Mamata Banerjee – the Kanyashree scheme- the Lakshmi scheme — all pseudo. Whoever wants to avail these schemes, before availing them kindly see if your Lakshmi at home safe.”
The father also severely criticised the management for not ensuring safety at the workplace. The grieving father said he trusted the college authorities to keep his daughter safe – as is expected of any professional workplace. “The place where I sent my daughter for her to make a living and serve the people, they did not protect her. It is very sad,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Kolkata Police issued summons to former BJP MP Locket Chatterjee and two doctors for allegedly spreading rumours and disclosing the identity of the woman doctor who was raped and murdered at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. The police have also issued summons to 57 others for spreading wrong information about the crime, an officer said. Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal told reporters a lot of rumour-mongering has affected the investigation.