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Minister joins protest over release of Bilkis rape convicts, says Mamata’s orders
West Bengal finance minister Chandrima Bhattacharya said TMC chief Mamata Banerjee directed them to start a protest against violence against women in BJP-ruled states
KOLKATA: Upping its ante against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Trinamool Congress (TMC) women’s wing launched a two-day sit-in demonstration in Kolkata on Tuesday to protest the release of convicts in Gujarat’s Bilkis Bano gang rape case of 2002.
“Party supremo Mamata Banerjee has directed us to start a protest against the violence against women in Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled states and the atrocities which village women are suffering at the hands of central security forces posted along the international border,” said West Bengal finance minister Chandrima Bhattacharya, who participated in the demonstration.
The 11 convicts sentenced to life imprisonment in the Bilkis Bano gang rape case were released last month by the BJP government in Gujarat on the country’s 75th Independence Day. Also in the last week of August, a 23-year-old woman was allegedly gang-raped in front of her five-year-old daughter by two BSF personnel after they were intercepted by security personnel while trying to illegally cross the Indo-Bangla border in south Bengal.
“The law says that convicts in cases related to rape and trafficking cannot be considered for release under remission policy. We are shocked. How can they release all the convicts in the Bilkis Bano case? It is shameful and unacceptable,” said Shashi Panja, senior TMC leader and state industry minister.
The TMC is also planning to move a resolution in the upcoming session of the state assembly over the alleged misuse of central agencies for political vendetta in the name of investigation.
“A decision on bringing a resolution in the session is likely to be taken soon,” said a TMC leader.
The extended monsoon session of the assembly will begin on September 14 and is likely to continue till September 22.
The protests come at a time the TMC has been on the back foot after two of its heavyweight leaders, Partha Chatterjee and Anubrata Mondol, were arrested by the Enforcement Directorate and Central Bureau of Investigation in two cases.
“The TMC has been unmasked and now the people are calling the party leaders chor. The TMC is trying to divert the attention,” said Rahul Sinha, BJP leader.
