The politicisation of a rape case in West Bengal
For almost a month, Kolkata has been shaken by protests and rallies, initially organised by feminist groups. In recent weeks, however, the Bharatiya Janata Party has taken advantage of widespread dissatisfaction to call for Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s resignation.
Kolkata (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Almost a month has passed since the lifeless body of a 31-year-old trainee doctor was found after she was raped and killed, according to the post-mortem, at the end of her shift at the RG Kar University Hospital in Kolkata, in the Indian state of West Bengal.
Since then, protests have continued, initially led by feminist groups, but morphing in recent weeks into a movement opposed to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, better known as "Didi", i.e. “elder sister". Such politicisation is encouraged by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which controls the central government but is in opposition in the north-eastern Indian state.
According to the National Crime Records Bureau, every year 32,000 rape cases are reported in India, one every 15 minutes, a figure that probably underestimates the problem. Government data show that Kolkata has the lowest number of rape cases among 19 major Indian cities.
The "Girls, reclaim the night" movement was immediately joined by nurses, medical students, and women to demand stricter laws, faster police response, and better working conditions for doctors, and women in general.
However, the case turned into a corruption affair and the BJP took the opportunity to demand the resignation of the leader of the Trinamool Congress (TMC), which has been in power in West Bengal for 13 years.
When the victim’s body was found on 9 August, police told the parents that their daughter had committed suicide. Two days ago, the young woman’s father said he had been pressured to quickly cremate the body. Instead, “We wanted the body preserved,” he said.
It is not clear whether the parents were also offered money by the police, but the Calcutta High Court instructed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which reports to the central government in New Delhi, to take charge of the investigation.
"I had requested five days to address the matter,” said Mamata Banerjee, “but they handed it over to the CBI. They (the BJP) are not seeking justice; they are seeking delay.”
Several people are currently under investigation, including the former principal of the university hospital, Sandip Ghosh. After resigning on 12 August, he was appointed principal of another prestigious public hospital, the National Medical College.
In response to mounting criticism, West Bengal's Legislative Assembly on Tuesday passed a bill providing for the death penalty for those found guilty of rape, as well as special teams and courts, and timely investigations into rape cases.
“It is a historic and model bill, and any well-meaning person will support it," said Mamata Banerjee, despite criticism from legal experts, who described it as “a political gimmick”, “a knee-jerk reaction,” “a form of showmanship”.
Regardless of the outcome of the investigations (under Indian law, they must be concluded within two months of the first complaint; in this case, 9 October). Meanwhile Didi’s leadership and her Trinamool Congress could be badly damaged by the affair.
Mamata Banerjee, 69, has been involved in politics since she was a teenager. She and others founded the TMC in 1998 after leaving the National Indian Congress (INC), which is still controlled by the Gandhi family. She came to power in West Bengal in 2011, defeating a communist administration that had lasted for 34 years.
Well liked by the local population for a long time, she has always positioned herself as a rival of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, rejecting the BJP’s Hindu ultranationalism, which, however, has become the second political force after the TMC in West Bengal (where 30 per cent of the population is Muslim and mostly middle class).
In the last election, Didi refused to run with the INC, remaining independent, a choice that proved successful. But now she faces criticism for being too controlling and nepotistic (her nephew is also a politician), allowing corruption to grow, and this might lead to her downfall.
The BJP is banking on this, trying to exploit it to its advantage; to this end, it has joined protests over the past month, urging general strikes by medical personnel.
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