Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee – whose government is under fire over the rape and murder of a doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Hospital – launched a fierce defence of the state’s police force Tuesday, pointing to equally horrific instances of assault on women in other states.
She referred to the rape of a 20-year-old Dalit woman in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras in 2020 and the rape and barbaric slaughter of a college student in Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district in 2013, as well as the rape of a child last week at a government-run hospital in Rajasthan’s Jaipur.
“In the Kamduni case (the North 24 Parganas rape) we demanded capital punishment… but the matter is pending in the Supreme Court (where an appeal has been filed after the Calcutta High Court acquitted one accused and commuted the death sentence of two others). No one talks about what happened in Unnao (and) the victim of Hathras did not get justice…” she said.
There are “abnormally high crime rates against women in states like UP and Gujarat… and there is no justice there but in Bengal women will get justice in courts,” she thundered in the Assembly, as she also demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, as well as chief ministers of all states “unable to implement effective legislations to safeguard women”.
The mention of Mr Modi and Mr Shah triggered loud protests from BJP lawmakers, to which Ms Banerjee asked, “What if I raise slogans against PM and Home Minister as you raise against me…”
Ms Banerjee’s sharp comments came as her Trinamool tabled a new law, which will make rape a crime commensurate with murder for which punishment will be death or life in jail. She said the “historic” new law – called the Aparajita law – will ensure fast-tracked investigations and stricter punishments.
The name of the new law has been seen by many as an homage to the young woman who was raped and murdered in North 24 Parganas; according to reports her name was Aparajita.
The Aparajita law will “plug loopholes” in laws passed by the centre, the Chief Minister said, taking a swipe at its much-vaunted set of three new criminal laws. Rape is a curse against humanity (and) social reforms are required to stop such crimes…” she said, urging Governor CV Ananda Bose, who has also taken pot shots at the Trinamool on the RG Kar Hospital case, to sign the bill without delay.
And, in a pointed remark at the BJP – which has been relentless in targeting her but has offered support, of a sort, on this legislation – she called on the opposition to also urge the Governor.
“We want justice from the CBI… CBI should hang the criminal,” Ms Banerjee said.
The bill was passed shortly after the Chief Minister’s speech, but not before the BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari, her former aide and now the Leader of the Opposition, criticised it as being tabled in haste.
He said the BJP would support the bill, but also demand accountability from Ms Banerjee.
“We will support… but why did you bring this in haste? We could have sent it to a committee (for further study). We want punishment for the culprits. We will not seek division… but the state government will have to ensure the bill is made effective at the earliest,” Mr Adhikari said.
The CBI is investigating this case pursuant to a direction from the Calcutta High Court, which ruffled political feathers by overruling the Chief Minister and summoning the central agency.
This was a day after Ms Banerjee gave Kolkata Police a week’s time.
Since then Ms Banerjee has been demanding results from the CBI, which made its first arrest late last night; Dr Sandip Ghosh, the former Principal of the RG Kar Hospital, was arrested after two weeks of questioning. Dr Ghosh, though, was arrested over allegations of financial irregularities.
The CBI also arrested three others, including a security guard. But the only arrest, so far, connected to the rape and murder has been by Kolkata Police, who arrested a civilian volunteer, Sanjoy Roy.
