'Mamata Banerjee has failed the people of the state': JP Nadda slams TMC over Kolkata rape and murder case, calls them 'anti-women'

Union Minister and BJP President JP Nadda on Sunday criticized West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her party, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) by calling them 'anti-women, anti-youth and anti-democracy'. His statement comes amid the ongoing political dispute over the rape and murder of a doctor at Kolkata's RG Kar hospital.

“West Bengal under TMC is ANTI-WOMEN, ANTI-YOUTH and ANTI-DEMOCRACY,” Nadda said in a post on X.

“The Chief Minister has failed the people of the state, presiding over an administration which has looted with impunity,” the BJP chief said, adding, “The iron grip has clearly rusted and rusted terribly.”

The remarks were made after the Supreme Court took suo motu notice of the case. A bench comprising Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra is scheduled to hear the case on August 20.

The body of a postgraduate trainee doctor was found in the seminar room at RG Kar Hospital on August 9. A 33-year-old man named Sanjay Roy, who had become a civic volunteer in 2019, was arrested by the Kolkata Police the next day. The police stated that the accused had been married at least four times and had a known history of ill-treatment towards women.

A preliminary autopsy report indicated that the victim had been sexually assaulted and murdered. The report mentioned that she was bleeding from her eyes, mouth, and private parts, with additional injuries found on her left leg, neck, right hand, ring finger, and lips.

Earlier this week, the Calcutta High Court, dissatisfied with the Kolkata Police's investigation, ordered the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to take over the case.

Students and junior doctors are currently protesting at RG Kar Medical College & Hospital, with protests spreading to several cities across the country, including Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and Mumbai.

In response, the Kolkata Police has imposed Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (formerly Section 144 of the CrPC), around the Medical College and Hospital. This restriction will be in place for seven days, starting from August 18th.