New Delhi: Amidst the ongoing turmoil in the country Protests On the rape and murder of a trainee doctor RG Kar Hospital In Kolkata, Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mahua Moitra has denied the allegations of covering up the matter.
She responded to allegations by the opposition BJP, which criticised Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and elected women representatives, calling them “gungi gudiyas”.
Moitra defended the state government’s action and insisted that there was no systematic cover-up in the case.
He said, “This story which is going around that the state government and above all the Chief Minister and all of us elected representatives are involved in some kind of systematic cover-up is completely false.”
“The chief minister was in Jhargram Medinipur when the incident happened. When she was informed about it, she immediately spoke to the girl’s family. On returning to Kolkata, she visited them and within 12 hours, the police arrested the prime suspect based on CCTV evidence,” Moitra said.
Moitra highlighted that Mamata Banerjee, the only woman chief minister in India, has consistently stood up for the cause of women and criticised the political narrative that TMC representatives are “dumb dolls”.
Moitra’s reaction came after remarks by Union Minister and West Bengal BJP president Sukanta Majumdar.
Majumdar accused TMC women MPs of remaining silent on the matter and suggested that the silence indicated possible foul play, alleging that a particular TMC MPHis nephew’s name is repeatedly coming up in connection with this incident.
Majumdar said, “In the doctors’ team, many such topics have come up in their WhatsApp group, some screenshots of it have also reached us like drugs, racket, sex racket… The name of a TMC MP’s nephew is coming up repeatedly. I don’t know what the truth is, but something is wrong because despite so many women MPs of TMC, none of them have said much even after such a big incident. Two TMC MPs and three MLAs are alumni of the same medical college, yet they have been silenced, which shows that something is wrong.”
Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari (BJP) also took action and wrote a letter to the Home Secretary and Director of Central Bureau of Investigation requesting deployment of Central Armed Paramilitary Forces to prevent destruction of evidence at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.
“I have written to Hon’ble Home Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs, Shri Ajay Kumar Bhalla and Hon’ble Director, Central Bureau of Investigation regarding the vandalism at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital and have requested them to deploy Central Armed Paramilitary Forces to prevent further destruction of evidence at RG Kar,” the official said in a post on Axis Bank.
The request came following the vandalism at the hospital on Wednesday night, where the mob damaged the protest site, vehicles and public property, forcing security officials to intervene and disperse the crowd.
The Federation of Resident Doctors’ Association (FORDA) on Thursday announced that they would resume their strike to protest the incident. The strike has resumed amid nationwide outrage over the rape and murder.
Former Delhi Commission for Women chief Swati Maliwal also wrote to West Bengal chief minister demanding strict punishment for those responsible.
Swati Maliwal wrote in her letter, “The inhumane atrocities inflicted on this young woman have shamed humanity and have triggered widespread protests across the country. As someone who has long been an advocate for the protection of women’s rights, I have been closely following this case and the more I learn, the more my disgust grows.”
Banerjee alleged that the Left parties were working in connivance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to create unrest in West Bengal. Commenting on the vandalism at the RG Kar Hospital, she said the mob involved in it was people associated with the BJP and claimed that they had no connection with the student movement.
Referring to the incidents that took place at the hospital, she said, “The leftists and Ram want to spread unrest in Bengal and they both have come together to do so.” CM Banerjee said, “The people who vandalised RG Kar hospital yesterday and created this ruckus have no connection with the students’ movement of RG Kar Medical College, they are outsiders, I have seen many videos, I have three videos, in which some people are holding the national flag, they are BJP people and some are DYFI people who are holding white and red flags.”
The RG Kar incident has also seen reactions and protests from various medical fraternity. Doctors from Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital and AIIMS gathered for protests, and medical students in Kolkata expressed their anger through protests.
Bollywood actor Hrithik Roshan expressed his anger and concern over the incident on social media.
He wrote on his X account, “Yes, we need to evolve into a society where we all feel equally safe. But this will take decades. Hopefully, sensitising and empowering our sons and daughters will make this possible. The next generations will be better.”
“We will get there. Eventually. But what in the meantime? Right now, justice must be done to bring a harsh stop to such atrocities. And the only way to do that is with punishments that are so severe that they strike fear into such criminals. That’s what we need. Maybe? I stand with the victim’s family in demanding justice for their daughter and I stand with all the doctors who were attacked last night,” his post further read.
Meanwhile, the Special Crime Branch of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in Kolkata has summoned five doctors and hospital staff for questioning in connection with the RG Kar Hospital. rape and murder case,
The incident sparked a nationwide response and public outrage in the medical community.
The postgraduate trainee doctor was found dead in the seminar hall of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9 and the victim’s family had alleged rape and murder.
