West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has sent a second letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging action on the brutal rape and murder of a post-graduate trainee doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. The letter follows her previous correspondence on August 22, 2024, in which she claims received no direct response from the Prime Minister.
“You may kindly recall my letter No.44-CM dated August 22, 2024 (copy enclosed) regarding the need for stringent Central legislation on incidents of rape and meting out exemplary punishment to perpetrators of such crimes. No reply was received from your end on such a sensitive issue,” Ms. Banerjee stated in her latest letter.
I have written this letter to the Hon'ble Prime Minister of India in connection with an earlier letter of mine to him. This is a second letter in that reference. pic.twitter.com/5GXKaX6EOZ
— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) August 30, 2024
The West Bengal Chief Minister expressed her disappointment over the lack of a personal reply from PM Modi, noting that she only received a generic response from the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development. Ms. Banerjee found this reply inadequate, given the severity of the issue.
The case in question revolves around the tragic death of a trainee doctor, whose body was discovered on August 9 within the RG Kar hospital premises. The incident sparked nationwide protests and strikes by doctors, with the Supreme Court taking up the case on its own initiative. Among those under investigation are the primary suspect, Sanjay Roy, and the former college principal, Sanjib Ghosh.
In her letter, Ms. Banerjee highlighted the significant steps taken by her government in West Bengal to combat such crimes. She mentioned the establishment of ten exclusive Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) courts, along with 88 Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs) and 62 POCSO-designated courts, all funded by the state. She urged PM Modi to intervene and facilitate the appointment of permanent judicial officers to these courts.
In her earlier letter, Ms. Banerjee claimed that 90 rape cases occur daily across the country. In response, Annapurna Devi, Union Minister for Women and Child Development, stated that the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, recently implemented, “comprehensively addresses the issues of crimes against women by providing stringent punishments.”
Ms. Devi also pointed out that West Bengal had been allocated 123 fast-track courts to handle cases of rape and child abuse, but many of these courts have yet to become operational.
