KolkataAug 10, 2025 11:00 IST
First published on: Aug 10, 2025 at 11:00 IST
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The rape and murder of a junior doctor at R G Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on August 9 last year shook the nation. In the aftermath of this horror, the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) government, ruling West Bengal since 2011, faced one of the most sustained protests that went on for close to two months.
In the aftermath of the rape and murder, a section of doctors hit the streets to seek justice for the victim’s family. Kolkata Police’s alleged mishandling of the case and the alleged corruption nexus in medical colleges in the state also put the TMC government in a spot. What made matters worse was that the principal of R G Kar at the time, Sandip Ghosh, was facing several corruption allegations and while he was forced to step down by the protesters, he was appointed principal of Calcutta National Medical College and Hospital within hours. This and the attack on the protest venue at R G Kar by miscreants alleged to be linked to the ruling party led to a breakdown in trust between the state government and the protesters and worryingly, for the TMC, saw ordinary citizens take to the streets in solidarity marches dubbed “Reclaim the Night”. As the protesting doctors refused to hold talks with the CM, she rushed to their protest site in an act of damage control and urged them to sit with the administration for a resolution. Their first meeting failed as the state government refused to live-stream the discussions, which the doctors sought. Eventually, the government agreed to their demands and removed Kolkata police commissioner Vinit Goyal, along with the state head of health service doctors and medical education.
One year since the R G Kar incident, many people have again taken to the streets of Kolkata, starting their protests on Friday and planning to continue them till August 15. The Opposition, too, is raising its voice, looking to target the Mamata government on the issue of women’s safety.
The R G Kar episode put the Mamata dispensation on the back foot. The TMC has tried to fend off the attacks from the Opposition as well as the civil society by saying that it has conducted a proper investigation in the case and that the main accused, Sanjay Roy, has been sentenced to life imprisonment. Mamata also claimed that the probe was “forcibly” taken away from Kolkata Police and given to the CBI, asserting that had it been with them, her administration would have ensured a death penalty for the accused. The government even brought in an anti-rape Bill that has a death penalty clause for such cases. Governor C V Ananda Bose has sent the Aparajita Bill back to the state government for consideration of the serious objections the Centre has raised over the proposed changes to the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita that the legislation seeks.
“All of us had demanded a death sentence, but the court has given a life term until death. The case was forcibly taken from us. Had it been with the (Kolkata) police, we would have ensured that he (Sanjay Roy) was served a death sentence,” the CM has said.
Since the allegedly shoddy investigation into the rape and murder, and alleged corruption in the state medical colleges were major talking points during the protests, the Mamata administration now seems to be keen to ensure swift action in such sensitive cases.
A senior government official said, “After the R G Kar incident, Mamata Banerjee was rigid on investigation. She accepted the demands of the doctors. Naturally, after the state administration addressed their demands, the movement pacified and Mamata Banerjee and her party were able to overcome the crisis.”
In contrast to the R G Kar incident, the government appeared to be trying to be more transparent in the Kolkata law college rape case.
Kolkata Police immediately registered an FIR in the incident that occurred in June, cordoned off the scene of crime, sent the victim for medico-legal tests, and arrested the accused, including a TMC student leader who is the main accused, in record time. They also ensured privacy for the victim and her family. The big test now for the government will be how the prosecution in this case proceeds.
With Bengal headed to the Assembly polls in less than a year, the BJP has decided to make the issue of women’s safety the cornerstone of its strategy — the issue came up last week in Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s meeting with the state BJP leadership — while TMC has sought to shift the focus to the issue of the alleged ill-treatment of Bengali migrants in several BJP-ruled states. “Atrocities against Bengali-speaking people is an issue that is getting a huge response,” said a senior TMC leader.
State Urban Development and Municipal Affairs Minister Firhad Hakim, who is also Kolkata Mayor, said the “protests against atrocities on Bangla speakers are growing” and the BJP was trying to “divert attention from this movement” by highlighting the R G Kar issue again.