Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Pawar faction’s leader Supriya Sule courted controversy by passing an insensitive comment on the brutal Bengal rape and murder case.

Bengal rape and murder case

Following the discovery of Moumtia Debnath’s semi-nude body inside a seminar hall at the government-run hospital in Kolkata, the preliminary post-mortem report confirmed that she was raped before being murdered. The four-page autopsy report noted, “There was bleeding from both her eyes and mouth, injuries over the face, and a nail. The victim was also bleeding from her private parts. She also had injuries on her belly, left leg, neck, right hand, ring finger, and lips.”

The police have ruled out suicide based on the autopsy findings and have registered a murder case at the Tala Police Station. In response to the incident, junior doctors at the hospital have launched protests, and the ruling opposition party, BJP, has demanded a CBI investigation into the case. Amidst the protests and demands for justice, the police have arrested a suspect connected to the case, and investigations are ongoing.

The medical community, supported by the IMA (Indian Medical Association), continues to call for swift justice and enhanced security measures to protect doctors, particularly women, working in hospitals nationwide. The IMA has released a statement expressing profound shock and sorrow over the brutal murder of Moumtia Debnath, a second-year postgraduate student at RG Kar Medical College in Kolkata. Debnath was found dead in a seminar hall on the third floor of the campus, and the preliminary autopsy report confirmed she was sexually assaulted before being murdered.

The IMA highlighted this crime as an example of the “anarchy and insecurity” prevalent within educational institutions. It condemned the administration’s failure to ensure safety in what should be a secure environment. The press release mourned the loss of Debnath, describing her as a “precious daughter of India” and criticizing the conditions that allowed such a heinous crime to occur.

The IMA further referenced a recent incident involving the fatal stabbing of a female resident doctor in a Taluk Hospital in Kerala, underscoring the increasing risks and unsafe conditions for doctors, particularly women. The association demanded that authorities take immediate action within 48 hours to apprehend the perpetrators, warning of potential nationwide protests if these demands are unmet.

Supriya Sule’s insensitive remark

The nature of the crime is heinous, yet Sule had the audacity to dismiss the crime as inconsequential. “Such incidents keep occurring in the country, and we condemn them,” Sule said dismissingly. Sule also expressed ‘faith’ in Mamata Banerjee. The casualness with which she referred to the heinous crime highlights her hypocrisy. Their outrage depends on the ruling dispensation, religion and caste of the perpetrator and victim, the state where the crime occurred, and other such factors.

Hypocrisy of pseudo-seculars

This incident has brought West Bengal’s Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee under scrutiny. Instead of addressing the apparent failures in state law and order, Banerjee blamed the central government for politicizing the tragedy. These actions have intensified public outrage, leading opposition leaders to demand her resignation.

Notably, several women parliamentarians, who are typically outspoken on issues of women’s safety, have yet to speak out against this horrific incident, raising questions about their silence in this case. This group includes Renuka Chowdhury, Jaya Bachchan, and Kanimozhi. While many of these leaders have been vocal about seeking ‘justice’ for Olympian Vinesh Phogat in recent days, their support for the Kolkata doctor who suffered at the hands of rapists has been absent. Netizens are calling out these political leaders for not speaking up against the perpetrators.

Not just politicians but also members of the pseudo-secular cabal outrage selectively. Those who shout from the rooftops for ‘Hathras’ and ‘Kathua’ go completely silent regarding Sandeshkali and other similar cases. Their hypocrisy needs to be called out.