Kolkata rape-murder case highlight: Proposal for anti-rape bill approved by Bengal cabinet

Amid ongoing unrest over the rape-murder of a woman doctor at state-run R G Kar Hospital here on August 9, both the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and opposition BJP have announced street protests with the shared demand for justice for the victim.

At the foundation day event of TMC's student wing, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced that student unions will hold protests at every college gate on August 30, demanding capital punishment for the perpetrators. (PTI)

Congress leader Pramod Tiwari said, “If they (BJP) want to call for a bandh, then it should be against the Centre because the case is being looked by the CBI and the Supreme Court now. The Supreme Court has urged the doctors to call off their strikes, which the latter has accepted.”

Fortis Hospital Shalimar Bagh, in collaboration with the Parivartan Cell of Delhi Police has launched a seven-day self-defense training program to empower the female medical staff with essential self-defence skills.

This initiative was undertaken in light of the recent incident of rape and murder of a trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. (ANI)

West Bengal cabinet on Wednesday approved a proposal to introduce a new Bill aimed at preventing rape and ensuring stricter punishments for such crimes. The Bill is scheduled to be presented in the assembly next week. (PTI)

West Bengal LoP Suvendu Adhikari said, "The way 'step down CM' slogan was raised in the entire state, the way yesterday's unpolitical 'Nabanna Abhiyan' march was seen and the way the effect of the bandh called by BJP was seen today, after that this is an attempt to divert the issue. This is a very technical matter...The assembly Speaker and the Assembly Secretary call the session of the Assembly. She (Mamata Banerjee) has destroyed our state, it has brought jungle raj and secondly, now the business rules of the Assembly were also abolished today. I salute our President, what she said today is the voice of the heart of the people of Bengal. We the people of Bengal are suffering, especially our daughters and sisters..."

In the wake of BJP's 12-hour Bengal Bandh, party workers on Wednesday staged a protest in Asansol over the police action at 'Nabanna Abhijan' protest, and the alleged rape and murder of a doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.

BJP workers sat on the railway tracks and also stopped trains at Burnpur railway station. (ANI)

Actress Shabana Azmi said, "There should be an outrage, it should not happen today, the outrage should have happened much earlier and it should not be selective...These incidents are very dangerous but if we take them selectively then we will not be able to reach the root and this is a very shameful thing because after the whole country came together for Nirbhaya, Justice Verma Committee made such a good protocol...I feel we need to completely remove the bias that is inside us and we do not think of women as mere commodities but think that women have equal rights..."

Sayan Lahiri, an MBA student and the face of the Nabanna Chalo Abhijaan, has been booked in three cases and has been remanded to 14 days in police custody. BJP assured full legal support to the student to secure his bail as soon as possible.

BJP leader Shehzad Poonawalla said, “Today it is amply clear that under 'dictator didi' not Mamata didi - Ma, Maati, Manush is unsafe and only 'balatkari, bambaz and golibaz' are safe. Yesterday, we saw every attempt being made by 'dictator didi' to stop the Nabanna Abhiyan run by the students. Lathi, hockey stick, container, barricades, tear gas, water cannon, everything was used. Violence was unleashed on the protesters.”

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee said on Wednesday, “We will pass the amended bill in a special session of the assembly next week. We will then send it to the governor for his nod. We will stage dharna outside Raj Bhavan if he sits on the bill.”

The agitating junior doctors in West Bengal, who have been continuing ceasework for 20 days to protest against the alleged rape and murder of a medic, on Wednesday rejected Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's appeal to join duty.

A member of the West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Forum said they would not withdraw the agitation unless their demands, such as justice for the deceased postgraduate trainee of the RG Kar hospital, were met. (PTI)

Meeraj Khalid, Joint Commissioner of Police (HQ), Kolkata Police said, “Today 64 people have been arrested during the bandh. Some leaders have also been detained and further action will be taken as per their involvement.”

Assam Water Resources Minister Pijush Hazarika said, "She can't bully, she can't threaten us. She can't control law and order in her state and is threatening us. It will not happen in Assam, I am assuring you. I would like to request Mamata Banerjee, she is a very senior leader and a long-time CM, she should know how to speak in public. I seriously condemn it. I can assure you she can't do anything in Assam, until the BJP govt is here and Himanta Biswa Sarma is the CM"

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sharma on Wednesday hit back at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for her 'If Bengal burns, so will Assam' remark, saying, "Didi, how dare you threaten Assam?"

In a post on X, the Assam Chief Minister said, "Didi, how dare you threaten Assam? Don't show us red eyes. Don't even try to burn India with your politics of failure. It does not suit you to speak divisive language."

IMA said in its statement, “The disciplinary committee duly constituted by the National President Dr RV Asokan, IMA HQs has unanimously decided to suspend the membership of Dr. Sandip Ghosh, Vice President, IMA Calcutta Branch.”

Demanding enactment of stricter anti-rape laws by the Centre, TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee said he will move a private member's bill in the Lok Sabha.

The TMC national general secretary said that if the Centre "fails" to enact a stricter law that would ensure quick trial and sentencing of those found guilty, he will lead protests in Delhi.

"Our only demand is stricter anti-rape legislation," the TMC MP said, addressing a Trinamool Congress students' wing rally on its foundation day. (PTI)

Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar wrote a letter to Home Ministry, demanding action against CM Mamata Banerjee. He wrote, “I am writing to bring to your immediate attention towards the recent statements made by CM Mamata Banerjee during her address to the Student Wing of TMC today in Kolkata where she shamelessly incited gathering, declaring, 'I never sought revenge, but now, do what needs to be done.' This is nothing less than a blatant endorsement of revenge politics from the highest office in the state...I look forward to your prompt and decisive action to safeguard the interests of the citizens of West Bengal and uphold the constitutional values of our nation.”

TMC leader Kunal Ghosh said, "It was politically motivated. They should go to CGO Complex (CBI office), but they are going to Nabanna, the investigation is in the hands of CBI, and the case is in the Supreme Court but they have to go to Nabanna. They said that CM should resign. When all this happens in any other state of India, did any CM resign from BJP, CPM, Congress? Yesterday, there were not more than 3000 people. They did hooliganism, attacked police, broke barricades..."

TMC leader Kunal Ghosh said, "The BJP bandh is a complete flop. We also want justice in the RG Kar case. Just one person was arrested by the Calcutta police, the CBI could not arrest even 1 person till now. Today, the bandh is completely normal. In 1-2 pockets, less people were seen and some shops, and markets opened a little late because they had disturbed the railway line, but overall there was no public support...In the industrial belt, the attendance is more than 85%, in the tea garden the attendance is above 80% and in the IT sector the attendance is 100%, so it is all normal..."

Balram Bose, a protestor from the Nabanna Abhiyan, said, "The agitation was called by students but it was said that one individual from every household should join it. I too have women in my house. So, we should be concerned for their safety. If the society remains well and secure, women will be respected. Gods do not reside where there is no respect for women...While taking part in the agitation, I believed that we have to make our voices reach Nabanna. If I had to, I would have died...I was gesturing to them to break free from the slavery that Policemen follow in an autocratic system. I was telling them to leave behind the handcuffs and join us in our march to Nabanna or use water cannons with such force that we all get washed away...I am a Sanatani, a Lord Shiv devotee...I don't want any political party to influence or divert this agitation. We want justice and nothing else..."

BJP workers clashed with the police at several places across West Bengal on Wednesday as they tried to enforce a 12-hour shutdown, which had a mixed impact in the state.

Several BJP leaders, including former MPs Roopa Ganguly and Locket Chatterjee, Rajya Sabha MP Samik Bhattacharya and MLA Agnimitra Paul, were detained for blocking roads since the morning. (PTI)

"After the attempt to mislead the probe, save accused and destroy evidence, now a new strategy to threaten Doctors can be seen...CM did a PC and said 'I don't want FIRs to be registered and their (Doctors) careers get destroyed and they face trouble in getting passports and Visas'...BJP wants to say clearly that Mamata Banerjee has straight away threatened Doctors...", said BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi.

BJP leader and MP Hema Malini said, “What happened in Bengal is so wrong. Action should be taken...BJP workers are protesting over it (the case) and that is, indeed, right...An atrocity against a woman took place and action should be taken at the earliest.”

Amid the BJP's 12-hour 'Bengal Bandh,' the party's Jalpaiguri MP Jayanta Kumar Roy's car was allegedly gheraoed by TMC workers in Siliguri on Wednesday.

The Bandh has been called by the BJP to protest against the alleged police crackdown during the 'Nabanna Abhijan' to the state secretariat in Kolkata on Tuesday. (ANI)

The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday dismissed a plea against the 12-hour 'Bangla Bandh' called by the BJP since the petitioner was debarred perpetually from filing PILs in a previous order.

Petitioner Sanjoy Das, who claimed to be a lawyer practising at the high court, sought that the bandh be declared illegal. (PTI)