The Bengal I took pride in has let me down...

India Today

03-07-2025

'Ye sab sirf Delhi, Haryana mein hota hai. Bengal is different.'That line, half in pride, half in self-consolation, used to be my shield against numerous taunts about West Bengal. But not anymore.I wore my Bengali identity like armour. Born and raised in the lush, green expanse of North Bengal. I grew up believing my state was progressive, culturally rich, and most importantly, safe.advertisement
Maybe that's why, when I moved to Delhi nearly a decade ago, first for my master's, then a job, my parents let me go with great hesitation. "The money might be less here," they said, "but Bengal is safe."Even after I left, I clung to that belief. Whenever Bengal was criticised, for its lack of jobs, crumbling infrastructure, failing healthcare, or being unfriendly to businesses, I always had a ready retort:"At least we're not the 'rape capital' of India."I never missed a chance to defend my state. Yes, our GDP was slipping. Yes, we were lagging behind Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra. Yes, our youth were migrating for work.But deep down, I held on to one thing: West Bengal is safe.But not anymore.It started with a case that still sends shivers down my spine.A young postgraduate medical student, just 31, raped and murdered inside a seminar room at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, one of Kolkata's most respected institutions. Her body was found behind a makeshift curtain, covered with a hospital bedsheet. Her dignity, violated in a space meant for learning and healing.The crime itself was horrific. But the aftermath? Even worse.There were allegations of the crime scene being tampered with. The parents were deceived, kept in the dark about crucial details of their daughter's death. The former principal, hospital staff, and even civic volunteers were accused of botching, or worse, covering up evidence. The hospital, instead of demanding justice, appeared more concerned with damage control.What followed were protests. An outcry for justice. A demand that such a nightmare should never be allowed to repeat.It took 42 days of strikes by doctors, multiple FIRs, and the Supreme Court's intervention for a CBI investigation to finally be launched. The verdict? The prime accused, Sanjay Roy, was convicted for the rape and murder of the junior doctor.But whether her parents and well-wishers feel any closure is another question altogether.And just as people were trying to go back to their lives, Bengal was jolted again.advertisementOn June 25, another case, another young woman.A 24-year-old law student, gang-raped by three men inside a college campus, in a security guard's room.One of the accused, Monojit Mishra, had reportedly stalked her from her first day at college. A former member of the Trinamool Chhatra Parishad and a college staffer, someone with influence, with reach, and clearly, with no fear of consequences.According to the investigation, the assault was premeditated. It was filmed, allegedly to be used for blackmail.In both these cases, the location of the crime was not a bar, not a club, not a park, hotel, or dimly lit alley, lest anyone be tempted to dismiss them as sajano ghotona (fabricated cases).No. These assaults happened inside a medical college. A law college.Let's pause on that: a law college, where justice is supposed to be studied, debated, upheld.Who's to say your daughter or sister won't be applying there next year?So I ask: Where is the safety?How did our hospitals and colleges become breeding grounds for rapists?How did a state that prided itself on progressive ideals, intellectualism, and the legacy of revolution become so numb?advertisementHave we stopped even pretending to care?What makes this even more unbearable is the ruling party connection in both cases.The prime accused in the law college rape case had at least five criminal cases pending against him, including sexual assault and attempted murder.This isn't just political opportunism when the Opposition raises questions. It's basic human decency. Why was no action taken?In a 2024 report, The Wire revealed that between August and November 2023 alone, Bengal reported 42 cases of molestation, rape, and gang rape. The details range from rape and murder to dismemberment and the dumping of bodies in rivers.Let that sink in: This isn't data from a decade. It's from three months.And here's the most disturbing part: the numbers we know may only be the tip of the iceberg.A study published in Hindustan Times by economists Maitreesh Ghatak and Tanika Chakraborty tears apart the myth of Bengal's 'safety' based on NCRB data.'While it is difficult to pinpoint the extent of reporting bias,' Chakraborty writes, 'when we compare NFHS and NCRB data, it suggests a reporting bias in NCRB's crime against women statistics in West Bengal in the last decade.'For the uninitiated, the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) is a large-scale, multi-round survey conducted in a representative sample of households throughout India.advertisementSo, not only are the crimes rising, we may not even be counting them right.These are not aberrations. They are alarms.They scream that something is fundamentally broken in just our institutions.We need accountability, yes. But more urgently, we need honesty.The Bengal I loved, the land of Mahasweta Devi, Matangini Hazra, Bina Das, Suhasini Ganguly, of women who stood up, fought back, and led revolutions, is being buried under silence and shame.And we're letting it happen.- EndsMust Watch