A horrifying incident involving a female doctor at RG Kar Medical College in Kolkata on the night of August 8-9 has stirred a storm of questions against the Mamata Government in West Bengal. The situation has escalated to the point where even President Droupadi Murmu had to raise concerns. She stated, 'Women's Safety, Enough is Enough.' President Murmu mentioned her deep disappointment and fear upon hearing about the incident, emphasizing that no civilized society can tolerate such atrocities against daughters and sisters, and the anger of the nation's people is justified.
Show of Strength in West Bengal
On Tuesday, student organizations attempted to protest to Nabanna, the Bengal government's secretariat, but the police resorted to baton charges and tear gas shells. The BJP called for a twelve-hour bandh in Bengal. BJP and TMC workers faced off at Hindmotor Railway Station in Hooghly. BJP leaders arrived to halt trains, but accusations flew that TMC workers were already present, leading to a clash between the two groups. The police eventually controlled the situation.
BJP Leaders Detained by Police
Led by Sukanta Majumdar, BJP workers took to the streets to enforce the bandh but were stopped by the police. Some workers climbed onto the roofs of roadways buses in Kolkata, while others dismantled barricades. Locket Chatterjee took to the streets of Kolkata, only to be detained by the police, as were Rupa Ganguly and Rahul Sinha.
Source: aajtak
'BJP Wants to See Corpses on Bengal Streets'
Meanwhile, Mamata Banerjee accused the BJP of deliberately calling for the bandh, suggesting they want to see corpses on Bengal's streets. During the bandh, shots were fired in Bhatpara, North 24 Parganas, leading to many questions. It's claimed that BJP leader Priyangu Pandey's car was targeted and bombed. Several rounds of bullets were fired, and his driver was injured. Pandey insists that the attack was a coordinated effort by TMC and the police.
He said, 'We were heading to Arjun Singh's residence, and within minutes, the road was blocked. As soon as our car stopped, 50-60 people began targeting it with bombs. Seven to eight bombs were thrown, followed by six to seven rounds of bullets. This is clearly TMC and police collusion.'
'TMC Will Respond to BJP'
TMC MP Saini Ghosh vowed that if BJP calls for a bandh, TMC will also take to the streets to respond. Mamata Banerjee urged women to protest on Sunday and called for stricter laws against rape in the country. The Chief Minister promised to introduce a bill in the assembly to ensure justice in rape cases within ten days. Banerjee threatened to hold protests at Raj Bhavan if the bill is not passed.
Now, the question remains – will this game of bandh and counter-bandh continue, and will it bring justice to every woman? Or will such images of bus drivers wearing helmets while driving during protests continue in Bengal? It seems leaders will play politics on all fronts, leaving the public to ensure their safety.
Aaj Tak Bureau
