Combative Mamata vows death penalty law for rapists, roars against BJP, Modi over RG Kar protests

Mamata urges junior doctors to join work, and threatens action if they don’t listen at TMC students' wing rally, says state government to bring capital punishment law to hang rapists

TT, 28.08.24,: Chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday announced a special session of the state Assembly next week to bring a bill for capital punishment to rapists during the foundation day event of the Trinamul’s students’ wing.

Mamata had earlier dedicated the event, held at the Mayo Road, to the 31-year old postgraduate trainee doctor who was raped and murdered at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9.

“I will tell the Speaker to call the special session and in ten days the law to ensure capital punishment for rapists. We will send the Bill to the Governor,” Mamata said. “I know he (Governor) won’t do anything. But he will have to sign it. Or else women will sit in front of the Raj Bhawan. This time he won’t be able to send it to the President for consideration.”

Mamata referred to the allegation of harassment against Governor CV Ananda Bose brought by a female staff. “I have provided her with a job in another place,” she said, referring to the female staff.

Mamata also instructed the Trinamul Chhatra Parishad to hold sit-ins next Friday outside every college in the state demanding capital punishment for the culprits in the RG Kar rapa and murder case. On Saturday, the women's wing of the party will hold a similar programme from the block level onwards.

Before Mamata’s speech, the Diamond Harbour MP and the Trinamul general secretary Abhishek Banerjee promised to bring a private members bill in the Parliament for stringent anti-rape law if the Narendra Modi government fails to do so in the next three to four months.

“In the next three-four months if the Narendra Modi government does not bring stringent law for time-bound probe and trial of rape case, I will move a private member Bill on this issue to make this law possible," said Abhishek.

Both Abhishek and Mamata in their speeches referred to the rape and murder as “unfortunate”, while training the guns on the CBI, which is now probing the case.

“This was an unfortunate incident. We took action immediately, without any delay. The Commissioner of Police, the family members had reached the hospital by then. We wanted the culprits to be identified, arrested and hanged within seven days by a fast track court,” Mamata said. “We wanted the same in the Kamduni case too.”

The chief minister said, only capital punishment could bring an end to sexual attacks on women.

“Children were assaulted in Maharashtra, attacks have happened in Assam, UP. Manipur is on-going. By calling bandh they are trying to derail the movement. They are trying to defame Bengal,” Mamata said. “In this country, CBI, ED, Railway and justice everything is in the hands of the BJP. I have never seen such a shameless, arrogant party.”

Mamata reminded the BJP that they had not taken action in the series of assaults of women that took place in the BJP ruled states.

“The Prime Minister has not visited Manipur even once,” she said.

Rolling out figures from the National Crime Records Bureau, Abhishek said four BJP ruled states – Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Maharashtra- topped the list of most crimes against women, as he mentioned Kathua, Hathras, Unnao and Badlapur in his speech.

“Two tribal women were paraded naked in Manipur. Biren Singh is still the chief minister of Manipur. Do Suvendu Adhikari and Sukanta Majumdar have the moral courage to demand his resignation?” asked Abhishek. “Who is UP CM? Who is MP CM? Rajasthan CM? Maharashtra CM? Demand their resignations before pointing fingers at Mamata Banerjee. Shouldn’t there be stringent anti-rape laws for time-bound investigation and trial? Can they march to the Parliament and place this demand before Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, JP Nadda?”

Abhishek said if such a law was implemented BJP leaders would be the first to be arrested.

He also questioned why the central probe agency the CBI has not arrested the former RG Kar Medical College and Hospital Sandip Ghosh even after 14 days have passed since the agency started the probe.

“Be it Saradha, the theft of Tagore’s Nobel medallion, the school education scam, the CBI has failed in every case,” he said.