“Sickening Politicisation Of Rape”: Swati Maliwal To Mamata Banerjee
Addressing the West Bengal government’s failure in handling the Kolkata doctor rape-murder case, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal wrote a letter to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, reminding her that “the eyes of the nation are upon you, and history will remember how you respond to this moment of crisis.”
Listing out the several lapses by the state government in the Kolkata doctor’s murder case, Maliwal slammed Banerjee for the “sickening politicisation of rape.”
Read Also: Kolkata Doctor Murder: Miscreants Vandalise RG Kar Hospital Amid Protests
“Didi, as the only woman chief minister in the country, many of us had higher hopes for you,” she writes before highlighting the “disturbing attempts” to cover up the crime to the “rewarding of those involved in the negligence” and the “silence” of TMC.
The AAP leader points out the alleged delay in informing the crime to the victim’s family and “misleading” them by claiming the victim was ‘unwell’ and then that she had ‘committed suicide.’
Denying access to the body, failure to file an FIR, swift transfer of the principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, the Calcutta High Court’s observations of the “glaring failures” of the police and the administration before handing the case over to the CBI, and the failure to prevent vandalism in the crime scene were some of the other allegations Maliwal raised against the state government in her letter.
आज जहां हमारा देश 78वा स्वतंत्रता दिवस मना रहा है वहीं कलकत्ता के RG Kar अस्पताल में महिला डॉक्टर के साथ हुई दरिंदगी ने सब को झकझोर कर रख दिया है।
पश्चिम बंगाल की मुख्यमंत्री ममता दीदी को बेटी को न्याय दिलाने की माँग और तंत्र की जवाबदेही तय करने हेतु पत्र लिखा है। pic.twitter.com/yUUKUsOfvR
— Swati Maliwal (@SwatiJaiHind) August 15, 2024
Noting the occasion of Independence Day, Maliwal expressed her “profound sense of despair.”
“How can we truly celebrate when the very fabric of our society is torn by such unspeakable acts of brutality? How can we rejoice in our independence when the women of our country are not free from the fear of rape and murder?” asked Maliwal.
Urging the state CM and the government to “rise above the constraints of political expediency and lead by example,” the Rajya Sabha MP asked for the “severest punishments” for the perpetrators of such crimes. She further requested the government to fully cooperate with the CBI to ensure justice to the victim and her family, along with the government taking accountability for its lapses.
At last, Maliwal urged Banerjee and her administration to prioritise the safety of women in the state and the country.
Read Also: Kolkata Doctor Rape-Murder Case: More Details Emerge
The chilling and horrifying rape-murder of the 31-year-old trainee doctor has led to widespread protests across various parts of the country. Led by doctors and nurses, the protests have been ongoing and increasing in numbers in West Bengal and in cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, and others.
Meanwhile, chilling updates from the autopsy report (the official report is yet to be published) reveal that the victim was subjected to “genital torture.” The victim incurred such brutality that gangrape was suspected, claimed reports quoting a doctor familiar with the matter. Civic volunteer Sanjoy Roy has been arrested as the prime accused in the case.
