Kolkata rape-murder: Crisis deepens for TMC govt; demand for Mamata's resignation mounts

Midnight vandalism

The midnight vandalism ratcheted up the Opposition’s attacks against the state government that has already been besieged by public outrage over rising lumpen elements allegedly getting impunity under the TMC regime.

Seizing the opportunity, the BJP has lined up a slew of protest programmes from Friday demanding Chief Minister Banerjee’s resignation. Incidentally, she also heads the home and health departments.

The TMC orchestrated the vandalism to derail the CBI probe into the alleged rape and murder of the young doctor on August 9, claimed BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari.

“A police force that can't protect its citizens or a crime scene is a disgrace. The police minister and CM must step down immediately. Their incompetence is endangering lives,” he added.

Larger conspiracy

Even the protesting junior doctors, who are on cease-work protests over the rape and killing, see a larger conspiracy behind the mob attack. While interacting with governor C V Ananda Bose, who went to take stock of the situation at the vandalised hospital, the protestors alleged the attack was aimed at derailing the investigation and sabotaging their ongoing stir.

The conspiracy theory gained ground as the mob, numbering around 100-150, ransacked the server room of the CCTV cameras and “dharna manch” of the protesting junior doctors. It is not yet clear whether there was any damage to hard disks where crucial CCTV footage is stored. Emergency ward, nursing staff room and other departments of the hospital too were destroyed.

Police, however claim, that the seminar room on the hospital's fourth floor where the horrific crime took place, was untouched.

Inadequate security

Following the vandalism, panic-stricken nursing staff of the hospital expressed their fear and insecurity over discharging their duties.

“Vandals threatened that they would come again to carry out a similar attack. There is a complete sense of insecurity. More so, after the police left us at the mercy of the mob last night. They (police) failed to protect us,” said a nursing staff member of the hospital, who identified herself as Sangita.

There were only around 25 police personnel guarding the hospital when it came under attack, the Federal reliably learnt. The protesting doctors and students too were not at the hospital premises at the time of the attack. They had gone to attend the “reclaim-the-night” for women protest at Shyambazar, around 1.5 kilometres from the hospital.

Reclaim-the-night for women demonstrations were spontaneously organised by outraged citizens, mostly women, across the state. Their demand for justice for the victim of the heinous crime at RG Kar hospital and to make the night secure for women has a bigger underlying political message.

The call was initially given through a social media post by an ordinary woman citizen named Rimjhim Sinha. Women from across the state and also some other parts of the country overwhelmingly responded to the appeal.

Freedom from fear

Lakhs of women across Bengal took to the streets at midnight to seek freedom from fear.

“I am here to voice my outrage over the system that shields criminals who have high connections, creating larger insecurity in the society and giving a sense of impunity to law breakers. I demand an end to this,” Arundhati Roy Chowdhury, principal of the Kolkata-based Century Tulipdale Public School, who attended the congregation at the city’s Jadavpur in south Kolkata, told The Federal.

Chowdhury was echoing the larger voice of the protestors who seemed to be exasperated over a culture of hooliganism prevailing in the state.

There were multiple instances in the recent past where strongmen-linked to the TMC were found unleashing a reign of terror (incidents in Sandeshkhali and Bagtui, to name a few) and involved in public vigilantism as the law enforcers gave them a long rope.

Cover-up?

Allegations are galore about attempt to cover up the brutal rape and murder at the RG Kar, which the hospital authorities initially tried to pass off as suicide.

The Calcutta high court too questioned the state government’s hurried decision to reinstate the principal of R G Kar Medical College and Hospital, Dr Sandip Ghosh at the same post at another government-run hospital, within hours of his resignation taking moral responsibility for the gruesome incident at his hospital.

“Why are you protecting him?” the court asked on Tuesday, pointing out that he should have been the first to be questioned.

A former deputy superintendent of the hospital, Akhtar Ali, accused Ghosh of indulging in many corrupt practices such as failing students deliberately and demanding money for every work at the institution.

Many also raised questions as to under whose protection prime suspect Sanjay Roy, a civic volunteer, had unrestricted access in the hospital. Roy even ran a tout racket in the hospital which was not possible without powerful backing.

BJP takes political advantage

"This is an abomination! West Bengal is in flames with rage, yet Mamata Banerjee and her lapdog Kolkata Police are knee-deep in a filthy cover-up of a brutal rape and murder!”

“RG Kar Medical College authorities are smashing down walls, obliterating crucial evidence—evidence that could have exposed the vile monsters who committed this heinous act. Is this the 'new normal' in Mamata’s Bengal, where rapists and murderers are shielded because they’re connected to TMC’s rotten elite?” Bengal BJP said in a tweet.

Bolstered by last night's outpouring of outrage by women, a crucial vote-base of the TMC, the BJP is now determined to take political advantage of the situation. Last night violence gave it an unexpected opportunity to push its political agenda.

It will enforce a state-wide shutdown for two hours from 2pm on Friday. The party will also hold a demonstration in front of the RG Kar Hospital and will lead a torch-light march up to the chief minister’s Kalighat residence.

“We will continue our agitation to press for the chief minister’s resignation,” BJP state president Sukanta Mazumdar said.

The TMC’s former ally the Socialist Unity Centre of India (SUCI) called for a separate 12-hour bandh on Friday. The SUCI was not overtly critical of the TMC till now and hence its protest should serve as an eye-opener for Mamata's party.

TMC isolated

The TMC is increasingly becoming isolated over the RG Kar fiasco. Dissenting voices are heard even within the party. Several party leaders and functionaries had expressed solidarity with Wednesday’s reclaim-the-night for women agitation.

The TMC supremo termed the build-up over RG Kar incident as a Bangladesh-like attempt to topple her government.

To thwart it, the TMC has called for a counter mobilisation from Friday. Mamata herself will hit the streets demanding immediate completion of the CBI inquiry and capital punishment in the R G Kar incident. She has set the deadline till Sunday for the investigation to be completed.

She further directed her party functionaries to reach out to people in every block so that the alleged joint conspiracy by the BJP-Left Front is exposed and foiled.