Signs of discomfort are surfacing in the Trinamool Congress leadership over the recent incidents of alleged atrocities on women in West Bengal. Senior Trinamool Congress leader and Lok Sabha member Saugata Roy on Thursday said incidents of atrocities on women were a matter of shame in a State with a woman Chief Minister.
“We all concerned about the incidents of atrocities on women. There should be zero tolerance to it. Strong action should be taken in such cases. In a State which has a woman Chief Minister, if any incident of atrocity on women occurs under her leadership, then it is a matter of shame for all of us,” Mr. Roy said.
The remarks made at a public event created a flutter in the Trinamool Congress leadership which was quick to target the senior party leader. Satabdi Roy, another TMC MP, said incidents of atrocities on women had nothing to do with “a woman Chief Minister or a male Chief Minister”. “Does the Chief Minister want such incidents to occur? Does her government want it? All we can say is such incidents are shameful and sad”, the Birbhum MP said.
Opposition hails remarks
Mr. Sougata Roy’s remarks were welcomed by the Opposition parties including leaders of the BJP and the Congress. who asked the veteran MP to tell his views to the Chief Minister.
The remarks by Mr. Roy come in the backdrop of several allegations of rape surfacing in the State, including that of a 14- year-old girl at Hanskhali in Nadia who died the next day after the alleged assault. What has come as an embarrassment to the Trinamool leadership in connection with the Hanskhali incident was Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s remarks on Monday where she raised questions on the veracity of the allegations saying “are you going to call it rape, or [was she] pregnant or love affair”. Another Trinamool Congress leader, whose remark was seen contrary to what the Chief Minister was trying to say, was Krishnanagar MP Mahua Moitra. While, Ms. Moitra appreciated the police who had made two arrests in the case, according to her “even a consensual sexual act with a minor was a crime under the law”.
CBI probe
The alleged rape occurred on April 4 when the class IX student attended the birthday party of Brajagopal Gayali, son of a local Trinamool Congress leader. She died the following day on April 5. The Calcutta High Court had said “to instill confidence in the family members of the victim and the residents of the locality and the State, the investigation should be carried out by the CBI instead of the local police”. Earlier this week, the High Court had directed a court-monitored probe in the case of four allegations of rape at Deganga, Matia, Englishbazar and Bansdoni, which were brought before the court in form of public interest litigation (PIL) petitions.
