Mamata Doing Politics Over Rape-Murder of Doctor, Failed on Law and Order Front: BJP

Ahmedabad: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday accused West Bengal's Mamata Banerjee government of "doing politics" over the alleged rape and murder of a woman doctor at a Kolkata hospital instead of facilitating a fair investigation into the horrific crime and ensuring exemplary punishment for the culprits.

Addressing a press conference at the Gujarat BJP headquarters in Gandhinagar, party spokesperson Gopal Agarwal alleged that cases of rape and murder of women have become commonplace in West Bengal because Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her party Trinamool Congress (TMC) are encouraging and protecting "goons".

He said the manner in which the West Bengal government has acted after the August 9 rape-murder of the woman medico at the state-run R G Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata was "condemnable".

"After the incident, her family was told their daughter has committed suicide and when her parents came to the hospital, they were kept waiting for three hours. Though it was a case of rape and murder, the West Bengal police mentioned in the FIR that the death was due to natural causes," said Agarwal, hitting out at the TMC government.

"Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is doing politics instead of trying to ensure strict punishment for the culprits. Action taken by her government after the incident was condemnable. Though the principal of the college resigned (after the incident), he was immediately appointed in the same post in another college. It has also been revealed that the accused of the case were associated with TMC leaders," the BJP spokesperson alleged.

He maintained that shifting the principal to another college immediately instead of questioning him shows the TMC government and its police were trying to shield the accused.

"Serious cases of rape and murder of women are common in West Bengal because Mamata Banerjee is encouraging and protecting goons who are associated with the TMC. She is encouraging politics of appeasement and violence for vote-bank politics," the BJP functionary claimed.

Alleging that Banerjee has failed to maintain law and order in her state, Agarwal said the BJP as well as the people of the country her to take responsibility for this horrific incident. 

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