Kolkata Rape and Murder Horror: BJP Demands Mamata Banerjee’s Resignation, TMC Rejects

Manas Dasgupta

NEW DELHI, Aug 19: Refusing the equate the rape and murder of the trainee postgraduate doctor in a state-run hospital in Kolkata with similar horrific crimes against women in other states including in the BJP-ruled states, the BJP on Monday called the West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee “the destroyer of dignity of women” and even branded the other opposition parties in the INDIA bloc as “political vultures.”

Describing Ms Banerjee as “shameless” the BJP demanded her immediate resignation alleging that “crucial evidences” were destroyed at her behest to save the culprits in the rape and murder of a medic in Kolkata. “Mamata Banerjee has become Mamata, the destroyer. By her misdeeds she destroyed the dignity of a woman, a doctor who was serving the society. Mamata Banerjee is the destroyer of the rule of law and the Constitution,” BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said at a press conference at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi.

He also slammed leaders of the Opposition INDIA bloc, including the Congress’ Rahul Gandhi, and called them “political vultures”, alleging that they “generalised” the trainee doctor’s rape and murder by expressing a general concern over such cases reported in different parts of the country, including those in BJP-ruled States.

Senior TMC Minister Udayan Guha has sparked controversy by threatening that fingers of those blaming Ms Banerjee and demanding her resignation over the RG Kar Medical College incident would be broken. “Those who are attacking Mamata Banerjee, pointing fingers at her, and demanding her resignation will never succeed. Fingers of those pointing fingers at Mamata Banerjee will be broken and crushed,” he was heard saying in a video.

“Despite provocations, the police did not baton charge when R.G. Kar Hospital was vandalised,” he said. Drawing parallels with the student unrest in Bangladesh that led to a change of guard in the neighbouring country. Mr Guha said, “We will never allow West Bengal to turn into another Bangladesh.”

Earlier in the day, the West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose ripped into the Mamata Banerjee government, saying it has failed the women of the state. “Bengal is not a place safe for women. Bengal has failed its women. Not the society but the present government has failed its women folk… the government has ensured that a woman has no protection, which is what is reflected after the gruesome tragedy that took place in RG Kar. This should not be repeated,” the Governor added.

The governor also called for an emergency meeting of a cross-section of Bengal society” in light of the protests taking place in Kolkata, to apprise them of the action taken and to ask for opinions. This is in response to former Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh’s letter urging West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Governor Bose to take immediate and decisive action.

The government has also been criticised massively for its new notification listing rules for workplaces where women work at night.   “Wherever possible, night duty may be avoided for women. We hope these measures are implemented at the earliest,” said Alapan Bandopadhyay, the Chief Advisor to the Chief Minister.

Ms Banerjee has accused the Left and the BJP of conspiring against her. “They want to create unrest in Bengal and they both have come together to do this,” she had said a day after the vandalism by a mob at the RG Kar hospital. Both opposition parties had dubbed it an effort to destroy evidence.

The allegation about destruction of evidence has come up at every step – including the delay in allowing the woman’s parents to see her body and the renovation near the seminar hall, where the woman was found dead on Friday. With the case now in the hands of the Central Bureau of Investigation, Ms Banerjee’s TMC has questioned what breakthroughs they have achieved in a week.

As a stop-gap arrangement, the Union Health Ministry has allowed enhancement of security deployment by 25% at all Union government hospitals amidst the doctors demanding a Central law following the horrific crime at the Kolkata hospital. Officials said that apart from the standard security protocol, the deployment of marshals would also be approved based on individual demands by government hospitals after they conduct their security assessment.

Earlier today the Kolkata Police said, “One person was arrested in Kolkata for allegedly disclosing the identity of the doctor on social media, and for issuing threats to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.” Protests continue across various states of the country demanding justice for the victim, the death penalty for the accused and the resignation of the Chief Minister.

In Mysuru, doctors, including undergraduates from Mysore Medical College and Research Institute, K.R. Hospital, and Cheluvamba Hospital marched from K.R. Hospital premises to Gandhi Square and formed a human chain to create public awareness and also highlighted the need for the implementation of the Central Protection Act to safeguard doctors, medical professionals, and institutions from violence.

Official sources, however, said bringing a Central law based on the RG Kar case “will not make any huge difference” as the alleged rape and murder of the junior doctor at the Kolkata facility was not a case of patient-doctor violence.

The BJP’s West Bengal unit on Monday asked why Sandip Ghosh, under whose principalship the alleged rape-murder of woman doctor took place in RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, was reinstated as principal of another government medical college within hours of his purported resignation.

BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar criticised the swift reappointment of Ghosh as the principal of National Medical College and Hospital, questioning the rationale behind the decision. “We want to know what exceptional or noteworthy work he has done to warrant such influence,” Mr Majumdar said during a press conference.

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has called for the immediate enactment of a legislation to protect medical personnel. The party’s politburo, in a strongly worded statement, condemned both the Central and West Bengal governments for their inadequate responses to the incident, which has sparked nationwide protests among doctors and the general public.

Senior doctors Kunal Sarkar and Subarna Goswami appeared before the police on Monday afternoon in connection with the posts they shared on social media over the R.G. Kar hospital incident. Dr Sarkar and Dr Goswami reached the Kolkata Police headquarters at Lal Bazar leading a march of doctors. The procession that began at the Medical College, Calcutta, was stopped by the police near Phears Lane-BB Ganguly Street Crossing, and the two doctors were escorted to the police headquarters by senior officers.

They were asked by the police to appear before it for the posts they shared on social media. “We want justice for that young doctor, and we have not committed any crime,” Dr Sarkar said. Manas Gumta, a protesting doctor, said medics would intensify the stir if attempts were made to stifle the “demands seeking justice.”