Doctor's murder: BJP demands Mamata Banerjee's resignation amid protests

The police did not initially lodge an FIR and termed the case as an unnatural death, Bhatia said, lashing out at Banerjee for allegedly shielding the accused and trying to sweep the crime under the carpet. (Photo: PTI)

3 minutes reading Last updated: August 14, 2024 | 2:48 p.m. IST

The BJP on Wednesday accused West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of siding with the accused instead of the victim in the Kolkata doctor’s rape and murder case and demanded her resignation.

BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said no woman in the state would feel safe if she continued to hold the post of chief minister.

“You (Banerjee) have not performed your moral duty. You should immediately resign,” he told reporters, claiming she had tried to save the accused from the crime that shocked the nation.

Bhatia cited the Calcutta High Court’s critical comments on the handling of the case before transferring the probe to the CBI, while addressing the CM calling her “nirmamta” (ruthless) Banerjee.

He expressed confidence that the CBI will ensure a thorough investigation and the culprits will be hanged.

He said local police first informed the victim’s parents that their daughter was ill and later claimed she had committed suicide.

The parents had to wait three hours before they could see his body, he said, alleging that attempts were made to destroy evidence and protect the accused.

Before conducting a thorough investigation, police ruled out the possibility of gang rape, he said.

Instead of taking action against the principal of the medical college where the victim was working and where the incident took place, the state government transferred him to the same post in another college, he said.

The police did not initially lodge an FIR and termed the case as an unnatural death, Bhatia said, lashing out at Banerjee for allegedly shielding the accused and trying to sweep the crime under the carpet.

Amid the outrage, Banerjee said she would transfer the case to the CBI if it was not resolved within a few days, he noted, suggesting that it was a deliberate attempt on her part to destroy evidence as the first 48 hours are very important in such cases.

Law and order has collapsed in the state, he said, also referring to the Sandeshkhali case in which a local Trinamool Congress strongman was the main accused.

The chief minister also tried to shield the accused in this case and he was prosecuted only after the court handed over the investigation to the CBI, he said.

In the doctor’s rape and murder case, the victim’s family expressed lack of trust in the local police, he said.

Bhatia also criticised the INDIA bloc, of which the TMC is a part, saying they are “political cultures” that have chosen to remain silent on the matter for political reasons.

He accused opposition parties of favouring minority votes, especially Muslims, by maintaining selective silence on the targeting of Hindus in Bangladesh.

He said it was only after the BJP raised the issue that the Congress, at a “late stage”, also commented on the issue but tried to create an “artificial equivalence” that Hindus also indulge in such acts.

(Only the headline and image of this report may have been reworked by Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

First published: August 14, 2024 | 2:48 p.m. IST