Kolkata rape-murder: How RG Kar incident has spurred a political blame game in Bengal

The horrific rape and murder of a young trainee doctor in West Bengal’s Kolkata have triggered a political blame game. The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) has blamed the opposition – the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) or CPI (M) – for trying to foment trouble in the state. The opposition has questioned the Mamata Banerjee-led government over the incident.

The violence and vandalism at Kolkata’s state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital – where the woman’s body was found – in the wee hours of August 15 amid doctors’ protest has further added fuel to the political slugfest. From the ruling TMC to the opposition BJP, several political parties are taking to the streets in Bengal today (August 16) over the brutal rape and death case and vandalism at the hospital.

Let’s take a closer look.

Mamata Banerjee slams opposition

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee is set to lead a rally at 4 pm in Kolkata seeking justice for the rape-murder victim through the death penalty for the main accused. One Sanjay Roy, a civic volunteer, has been arrested in the case.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is investigating the case and has so far questioned five officials of the RG Kar hospital in connection with the case.

On Thursday, Banerjee blamed CPI(M) and the BJP for the late-night attack on the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. Speaking to reporters after a visit to the Raj Bhawan to attend the Independence Day tea party, she said the protesting doctors were not responsible for the vandalism and violence.

“The troublemakers were outsiders. I don’t blame the students. They were some outsider political people who want to create trouble in Bengal – baam and Ram (which means the Left and the BJP in local political parlance). They have united to create this trouble…,” the CM said, as per The New Indian Express (TNIE).

She added, “In the videos I saw, there were people with the Indian flag who were BJP (workers) and others with DYFI’s red-and-white flag.”

DYFI is the Democratic Youth Front of India, the youth wing of the CPI-M.

Earlier, Banerjee had alleged a “coordinated” effort by the BJP and CPI(M) to politicise the rape and murder of the junior doctor.

Referring to the students’ protest in Bangladesh that brought down the regime of Sheikh Hasina, the Bengal CM alleged the opposition was trying to “make a Bangladesh here”.

She also accused the opposition parties of attempting to defame West Bengal. “A coordinated approach has been executed by the BJP and CPI(M), with support from the Centre, to defame Bengal and exploit the situation… They want to make a Bangladesh here. I have no longing for the chair. I came here to serve people,” Banerjee was quoted as saying by Indian Express.

The West Bengal CM also brought up the atrocities against women under the previous Left government in the state and similar crimes in other places like Delhi and Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras.

“I want to ask the Congress too, many incidents take place in your states, what action do you take? Don’t try to politicise the incident just for a few likes on social media and media footage,” she told the opposition parties.

Her statement on Wednesday came hours after Congress MP Rahul Gandhi spoke about the Bengal rape-murder case. Accusing the TMC government of “attempting” to save the accused, he wrote on X, “The entire country is shocked by the gruesome incident of rape and murder of a junior doctor in Kolkata. The way the layers of the cruel and inhuman act against her are being revealed, there is an atmosphere of insecurity among the doctors’ community and women.

“The attempt to save the accused instead of providing justice to the victim raises serious questions on the hospital and the local administration,” he said.

Opposition lambasts Bengal govt

The opposition BJP in Bengal has demanded Banerjee’s resignation over the violence at RG Kar hospital.

BJP leader and Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, alleged “TMC goons” were behind the vandalism. “Mamata Banerjee has sent her TMC goons to the apolitical Protest Rally near RG Kar Medical College and Hospital…They were given safe passage by the Police, who either ran away or looked the other way so that these lumpens would enter the hospital premises and destroy areas containing crucial evidence so that it doesn’t get picked up by the CBI,” he wrote on X.

Adhikari has also written to the Union government demanding the deployment of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) at the RG Kar Medical College to “prevent further destruction of evidence”.

West Bengal BJP president Sukanta Majumdar previously hit out at female TMC MPs, questioning their silence on the brutal crime.

TMC MP Mahua Moitra has criticised the political narrative of painting women TMC leaders as “Gungi gudiya (mute dolls)”. “There is no cover-up. Mamata Banerjee is the only lady chief minister in India and has always stood for women’s causes. To somehow put a political leaning to this and say that all of us are Gungi gudiya (mute dolls) is some kind of political narrative that we had to face before and that we are going to fight back again,” she said in a video posted on X.

The CPI(M) state secretary Mohammed Salim has also criticised the TMC and the state government over the vandalism.

CPI(M)’s Sujan Chakraborty alleged “the hand of the CM” in the vandalism. Another leader of the party Bikash Ranjan, as per Times of India, said: “Trinamool has orchestrated both the crime and the attack by miscreants yesterday.”

Congress leader Supriya Shrinate has questioned whether women are safe in India. Alleging “cover-up” by the local administration of the crime in Bengal, she said to ANI, “What is happening with women in this country? Why did the local administration try to cover up the crime? The violence we saw yesterday is unacceptable and it is not the answer to anything…”

Communist Party of India (CPI) national secretary Annie Raja has called the political blame game over the rape and murder of the 31-year-old doctor a “tragedy” of Indian women.

“This is the tragedy of Indian women, whenever they are raped and murdered brutally, the political blame game takes place. After a few days, everything ends, again it will start when other lady meets the same fate. Nobody is sincere to see that women of this country enjoy equal citizenship or equality and justice. Until and unless all the political parties will take it as a serious political issue, (this can’t be addressed). Finally, who are the victims? Who are the sufferers? It is the women and the girls,” she told PTI.

Opposition protests in Bengal

As Banerjee takes to the streets, the opposition parties in Bengal have planned their own protests.

The BJP’s women’s wing will hold a candlelight march to Banerjee’s south Kolkata residence demanding the resignation of the CM over the RG Kar vandalism.

BJP’s Majumdar has said the party will hold a sit-in demonstration near the hospital. The saffron party has also planned road blockades from 2 pm to 4 pm in Kolkata and other districts of the state today.

The Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist) began its 12-hour general strike on Friday to protest the rape and murder of the doctor. The party leaders also condemned the TMC government over its “failure” to ensure the safety of doctors.

With inputs from agencies