Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Aug 28: Countering the BJP’s attack that blamed the West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee for the delay in delivering justice to the rape and murder victim at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, she questioned the on-going investigation into the horrific case by the Central Investigation Bureau (CBI) which is seized with the case for the last 16 days and questioned “where is justice.”
“We asked for five days’ time to solve the rape and murder case, but the BJP wanted the CBI to investigate. The central agency entered the scene on the third day and since then 16 days have passed and it is still not been able to progress and inch more than what the Kolkata police found in 12 hours,” she said. She asked the people to demand to the CBI “where is justice.”
Addressing a public event to mark the foundation day of Trinamool Congress’s students’ wing on Wednesday, the Chief Minister said she met the victim’s parents two days after she was found dead on duty in the seminar hall of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. “I asked for five days’ time, but the case was sent to the CBI. They don’t want justice. They want delay. It has been 16 days, where is justice?” she asked. The Chief Minister said the state government will call for an Assembly session and introduced a Bill demanding death penalty for rapists.
The Trinamool leader tore into the BJP over the march to state secretariat Nabanna on Tuesday that led to chaotic scenes on Kolkata streets. While the organisers had said the march was planned by student organisations, the Trinamool alleged that it was a BJP-ABVP conspiracy to create unrest.
Over 200 people were taken into custody as police used teargas shells, water cannons and batons to disperse protesters. The BJP called a 12-hour bandh on Wednesday to protest against the police action. “BJP has called a bandh because they want dead bodies. We want justice and death by hanging for the accused. They (BJP) have moved away from the goal of demanding justice for the victim. Now they are defaming Bengal. The BJP is shameless. They are indulging in a conspiracy,” she said.
The Chief Minister also had words of praise for the city police. “I want to salute the police that despite coming under attack, they did not fall into the trap and prevented deaths.” “Next week, we will call an Assembly session and pass a Bill within 10 days to ensure capital punishment for rapists. We will send this Bill to the Governor. If he doesn’t give his assent, we will sit outside Raj Bhavan. This Bill must be passed and he cannot evade accountability this time,” Ms Banerjee said.
Accusing the BJP and its central leadership for fomenting unrest in West Bengal, Ms Banerjee issued a strong warning and said, “Remember if Bengal is burned, then Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, and Delhi will also be burned.”
Her statement, however, was promptly projected as an anti-national stance of the chief minister. Intensifying their demand for her resignation, the BJP said such “anti-national comments isn’t the voice of someone holding a constitutional position.” Union minister and Bengal BJP president Sukanta Majumdar also wrote a complaint letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah against Mamata Banerjee for advocating violence in Kolkata on Wednesday.
“CM Mamata Banerjee during her address to the Student Wing of TMC today in Kolkata where she shamelessly incited gathering, declaring, ‘I never sought revenge, but now, do what needs to be done.’ This is nothing less than a blatant endorsement of revenge politics from the highest office in the state,” the letter written by Majumdar read. “I respectfully urge you to take cognizance of this serious matter and initiate appropriate actions to address the situation and uphold the rule of law and maintain public order,” he added.
Mr Majumdar who staged a sit-in protest on the road at Baguiati in Kolkata during the 12-hour ‘Bengal Bandh’ called by BJP, said the protest has transformed now into a people’s movement and their demand was the resignation of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. He said, “Police have turned into goons of Mamata Banerjee. These goons are attacking BJP workers. We are protesting for the youths. There are no jobs for the youth. Mamata Banerjee’s police are not allowing us to conduct any peaceful protest in a democratic way. They are unable to maintain the law and order. They are creating hegemony in the State. They are arresting the BJP workers in an unlawful way. We will continue with our protest. This protest has transformed into a people’s movement. We demand the resignation of CM Mamata Banerjee.”
Speaking at the event earlier, Trinamool general secretary and Ms Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee, MP, said the party would move a private members’ Bill in the Lok Sabha for an anti-rape law if Centre did not take steps on this front. “An unfortunate incident has happened and entire India is demanding justice, but some people are playing dead body politics over it. They are responsible for cases in Unnao, Hathras, Kathua and Badlapur. There should be a time bound trial and convictions in rape cases, and this should be set in law,” he said.
He also questioned why the CBI has not yet arrested Sandip Ghosh, the former principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, who has come under the scanner for handling of the incident and corruption allegations.
As Trinamool Congress targeted the Centre and demanded tougher laws for women’s safety, Union Women and Child Development Minister Annapurna Devi has said the Bengal government has failed to implement schemes to deal with crimes against women. It was ironic that Bengal was the only state in the country with a woman chief minister and still the situation of women there was deteriorating, the minister said.
“There are states like West Bengal where we are trying to get the central government schemes implemented but it is not happening. There are central government schemes, such as fast track special courts and POCSO courts, that have been established to deal with crimes against women and children but the state (West Bengal) is lagging behind in it,” she claimed.
The West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Forum continued to hold protest demonstrations in Kolkata demanding justice for fellow victim doctor and highlighting the growing frustration within the medical community over the need for improved safety measures and swift justice.