Time for Mamata Banerjee to Step Down Gracefully

West Bengal Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee, is a seasoned and experienced propagandist, rabble rouser, agitator and agent provocateur. For example, the way in which she seized the opportunity of the Tata Nano Singur controversy way back in 2008 over land acquisition – a la modern Goebbels.

Mamata Banerjee has made all her moves very deliberately to cover up the brutal and gruesome murder of a 2-year PG student of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata on 8 August 2024. Her actions includes: 1) directed the Kolkata Police to investigate the incident without delay; 2) visited the incident site immediately; 3) transferred the Principal; 4) visited the diseased family to express her sympathy; 5) announced to hang the accused; and 6) handed over the case to the CBI on High Court directive.

After the violent protestors attacked the RG Kar Hospital on 15 August 2024 and ransacked the Emergency Ward, she has announced: 1) blamed the CPI (M) and the BJP for the midnight mob attack; 2) highlighted the injuries inflicted on the Police by the mob; 3) not the protesting doctors who attacked the hospital, but the Left and the BJP have joined hands to create civic unrest and 4) announced to launch a protest in Kolkata condemning the killing of Doctor.

Most important, the media is blamed for the “Trail by Media”.

Ironically, the Kolkata Police has announced the arrest of 19 individuals only out of 7000 culprits who vandalized the hospital and identified 4-5 others who incited the mobs on the social media to raid the hospital. Surely, the Police could have rounded up at least a couple of hundred persons who were visible on the media screens, if not thousand!! The Commissioner of Police needs to be sacked and sent home for his failure to protect the hospital in force and failure to arrest more people. To sum up, it is a gross failure of intelligence, and also command and control.

Now, Mamata Banerjee is blaming Opposition parties for the attack on the Police: “The police investigated as much as possible. One DC was seriously injured. His whole body was covered in blood. Yet, the police did not lose patience and did not beat anyone. A DCP has been admitted to hospital. He fainted. I was awake till 4 am.” So What? You are the Home Minister. How did you allow such a situation to go out of your control?

Mamata Banerjee also warned that fake videos are being made using artificial intelligence (AI) and asked the people not to fall for them. Yet another cover up attempt and shifting the blame to opposition political parties.

The elected TMC representatives like Mahua Moitra, four days after the incident, are involved in a systemic cover-up of the brutal and gruesome murder of a 2-year PG student. She highlighted that the accused was arrested within 12 hours based on CCTV evidence, and handed over the case to the CBI as per the Calcutta High Court orders. So What?

Mahua Moitra stated that the delay in the investigation is due to heavy dependence on forensic evidence, which is currently with the Central Forensic Lab. She adds that it is impossible to make arrests without forensic or CCTV evidence. Moitra reassured the public that both the state government and Kolkata police are cooperating with the CBI in their investigation.

The latest is the Kolkata High Court damning indictment of the Kolkata Police for the vandalism of the hospital. Also, the directive to the CBI to investigate the “Who and Who” that damaged the Emergency Ward and other parts of the Hospital.

Undeniably, Mamata Banerjee is involved in the cover up of a botched up investigation in the murder of a 2-year PG student. The Doctors who have conducted the post mortem has conclusively stated that it was gang rape based on the content of Semen. So, Mamata Banerjee’s claim of prompt action by the Kolkata Police to arrest the accused will not be judicial acknowledgment and confirmation.

How many are the “Gang Rapists”. Can the Kolkata Police (to save their own skins or reputation) produce the culprits and hand them over to the CBI?

Yet another issue that needs to be reviewed is the “Civil Volunteer Force” of 1,30,000 under the West Bengal Police. The accused is one of them and a rank offender. What is their political affiliation? Are they the “Gangs of the TMC” to coerce innocents to fall in line with the TMC?

To sum up, Mamata Banerjee, with the Home & Hill Affairs, Personnel & Administration, Planning, Revenue, Statistics Program Implementation, Health and Family Welfare, Land and Land Reforms, Refugee Rehabilitation, is squarely responsible for the dismal law and order failure or shortcomings and the poor state of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, besides the transfer and posting of the Principal, who has now been sent on leave by the High Court. It is high time for her to step down gracefully.