West Bengal: Alleged rape and political slugfest as Mamata govt faces flak
Guwahati: The alleged rape of a second-year student of a private medical college has triggered a political slugfest in West Bebngal.
The rape survivor from Jaleswar in Odisha, is doing her MBBS at the private medical college located near Shobhapur in Durgapur, the biggest industrial hub of West Bengal located 170 km from the capital Kolkata.
As per sources, “the student stepped out of the campus on Friday at 8.30 pm with a male friend. Near the campus gate, a man allegedly dragged her to a secluded area behind the hospital and raped her,” reports India Today.
Folliwng the alleged heinous crime, the Mamata Banerjee government has been at the receiving end. It also brings back memories of the RG Kar rape and murder.
The West Bengal Doctors' Front (WBDF) strongly condemned the gangrape of the medical student and called it another "chilling reminder" that women are not safe even on campuses (in the state).
WBDF said the Chief Justice of India should take cognisance of the matter and order judicial inquiry.
Opposition party BJP was quick to tap into the incident to lambast the ruling dispensation.
"This repeated failure of law and order exposes a disturbing pattern under Mamata Banerjee’s administration. The West Bengal Police must ensure a transparent and impartial investigation, unlike the RG Kar MCH case, which the Kolkata Police mishandled under instructions, so that the guilty face the harshest punishment under the law," BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya wrote on X.
"West Bengal is not safe for women. Until the TMC government is held accountable, women across the state will continue to live in fear. Mamata Banerjee must go in 2026," he added.
The ruling TMC lashed out with state minister Shashi Panja saying they should not politicise the sensitive matter.
"Is there any place for politics here? And if anyone makes political statements, ask them what they have to say about the crimes committed against the girls in Odisha. They set themselves on fire. Those who remain silent when something happens in Manipur, what were they doing with the gold medal-winning girls when they protested at Jantar Mantar? Tell the BJP to shut down its shop in Bengal. The police have started an investigation into the matter," Panja said.