Kolkata horror: TMC, BJP trade barbs over rape case in law college; cops nab 5 accused
Representative image
NEW DELHI: A political blame game has erupted amid the uproar over the rape case that has been reported in a Kolkata-based law college, with both ruling
Trinamool Congress
(TMC) and rival Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) pointing fingers at one another.
While TMC pointedly blamed the BJP for "delaying" the passage of the 'Aparajita' anti-rape bill, brought in the wake of the tragic RG Kar rape case, the BJP hit out at the
Mamata Banerjee government
for "failing to take action in cases involving crimes against women due to political considerations".
Condemning the tragic rape incident at South Calcutta Law College, TMC wrote on X: "This tragedy once again underscores the urgent need for the implementation of the Aparajita Anti-Rape Bill to establish a strong deterrent against sexual offences, emphasising the necessity for speedy investigations, swift trials, and stringent punishments.
It is extremely unfortunate that the BJP govt at the Centre has not lifted a finger to get it implemented.
"
Last year, West Bengal governor CV Ananda Bose referred the "Aparajita Woman and Child (West Bengal Criminal Laws Amendment) Bill, 2024" to President Droupadi Murmu, citing "multiple loopholes" in the legislation.
The bill, passed by the state assembly following the brutal rape and murder of a trainee doctor at Kolkata's RG Kar Hospital on May 9, 2024, proposes capital punishment for rape convicts if the assault results in the victim's death or leaves her in a vegetative state.
The BJP, which is the key opposition in West Bengal, levelled the TMC government "anti-women" and demanded "a fair and unbiased investigation, free from political interference."
"TMC government is anti-women, which is why it tries to protect the accused. The Mamata Banerjee government consistently fails to take action in cases involving crimes against women due to political considerations. Data suggests that crimes against women are on the rise in Bengal.
We demand a fair and unbiased investigation, free from political interference," BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari told news agency PTI.
West Bengal BJP MLA Shankar Ghosh claimed the mentality of society has deteriorated due to the language spoken by CM Mamata Banerjee.
"Horrific. I should say that the situation in West Bengal is horrific. The atrocities against women are increasing day by day. The way the girl student was raped within the premises by, as I know the present and the ex-student, shows the deteriorating mentality of our society.
I should say that this kind of mentality is due to the language spoken by our CM...She is becoming a kind of shelter for these criminals. These arrests are nothing," Ghosh told news agency ANI.
In the incident, which is the eerily reminiscent of the gut-wrenching RG Kar case, a student was allegedly raped on the night of June 25 within the premises of a Kolkata law college, leading to the arrest of three men, two students and a staff member who is also an alumnus of the institution.
Police identified the accused as Manojit Mishra (31), Zaib Ahmed (19), and Pramit Mukhopadhyay alias Pramit Mukherjee (20).
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