Mamata writes to PM again, seeks stringent Central legislation in rape and murder cases

 Stop writing letters; you are accountable, says BJP

PTI, KOLKATA, AUG 30, 2034: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, reiterating her request for stringent central legislation and exemplary punishment for heinous crimes like rape and murder. Mamata, who wrote to Modi a few days ago on the issue following the nationwide uproar over the rape and murder of a doctor at R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on August 9, sought a mandatory provision for time-bound disposal of cases of rape and rape-cum-murder.

The Chief Minister had on Wednesday said an amendment to existing laws would be passed in the state Assembly next week to ensure capital punishment for convicted rapists. Stating that she is yet to receive a reply from the Prime Minister on the issue flagged by her, Mamata wrote that she has, however, received a communication from the Union Women and Child Development Minister.

Maintaining that the letter by the WCD Minister "barely attends to the gravity of the issue" raised by her, the Chief Minister wrote: "The seriousness of the subject and its relevance to society have not been adequately appreciated while sending out this generic reply." She wrote that 10 exclusive POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act) courts have been approved by the state government. She further mentioned that 88 fast-track special courts and 62 POCSO-designated courts are already functioning in West Bengal with state funding. Mamata wrote that helpline numbers 112 and 1098 are functioning in the state and additionally, Dial-100 is extensively used in emergency situations.

WCD Minister Annapurna Devi had on Wednesday said the situation of women in West Bengal has been "deteriorating" and slammed the Mamata Banerjee government for failing to implement central schemes such as fast-track courts and emergency helplines to deal with crimes against women. Devi claimed that the fast-track special courts (FTSCs), which were allocated to West Bengal, are yet to become operational in the state. The WCD Minister also said that the state "failed" to implement key emergency helplines — the Women Helpline (WHL), Emergency Response Support System (ERSS), and Child Helpline.

However, the BJP slammed the Chief Minister, calling her a “liar” and asked her to explain why she has not done anything to ensure the implementation of existing "stringent" rules and regulations to protect women in her state. This came after she wrote to the Prime Minister. “It is incumbent on Mamata Banerjee to explain why the West Bengal government hasn’t done anything for implementing the stringent rules and regulations, which exist for protecting women and girls,” BJP co-incharge for West Bengal Amit Malviya said in a post on X. “Stop writing letters. Answer the questions. You are accountable,” he added. Malviya even went on to say: “Mamata Banerjee is a liar.”

“Annapurna Devi, Union Minister of Women and Child Development, responded to the West Bengal Chief Minister on August 25, 2024. In her letter, in point 4, she (the WCD minister) specifically mentions the West Bengal government not setting up even a single fast-track court for addressing rape and POCSO-related cases,” the BJP leader said. He also posted on X a copy of the WCD Minister’s letter to the West Bengal Chief Minister. Malviya said that as many as seven cases of rape, mostly of minors, and in some cases murders too, have been reported in West Bengal in the last 48 hours.

“But in the last 48 hours, Mamata Banerjee has been engaged in every deplorable act — that a civilised Chief Minister would be ashamed of — from issuing open letters to clarifications, from threatening and abusing doctors to inciting nationwide arson,” he said in another post on X. The BJP leader called Mamata a “failed Home and Health Minister” of the state and alleged that she is preoccupied with suppressing evidence of her corruption and incompetence in the R.G. Kar Hospital rape-and-murder case. “But, enough is enough. The awakened conscience of Bengal now calls for accountability,” Malviya added.