Faced with one of the biggest challenges of her administrative career in containing the raging protests over the rape and murder of a doctor at R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital (RGKMCH), West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee did what she does best, which is hitting the streets. Many in the State could not fathom whom the Chief Minister was protesting against when anger was directed at her government. Even after 13 years in power, Ms. Banerjee has not been able to break free of her image as an Opposition leader, street fighter, and rabble-rouser.
As a Chief Minister of the fourth most populous State of the country, the people expected more from Ms. Banerjee than only hitting the streets in such a moment of crisis.
The rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor not only reflects lapses on several fronts but also reveals a deep rot in the administration.
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In the R.G. Kar incident, neither the hospital administration nor the police followed protocols. From informing the family that the doctor had died by suicide, to registering a case of unnatural death when injuries on the body of the victim prima facie pointed out sexual assault and murder, the hospital and police could have handled the situation better.
As anger simmered and women sought to reclaim the night on the eve of Independence Day, the Chief Minister said that ‘Bangladesh style’ protests were being organised by ‘Ram Baam’ (Left and Right) to remove her from power. When the mob ransacked the RGKMCH in the early hours of August 15, the police deployed posed no resistance and some policemen even ran for cover inside the hospital.
The mob at the hospital was not the only mob that people of the State had seen recently. Weeks ago, when a couple was publicly beaten up by a local Trinamool leader in Chopra, a mob gathered and watched as the woman writhed in pain. Similar mobs turn violent during elections. Given that West Bengal has been a party-dominated society, such mobs have had the backing of the political system.
The accused in the horrific rape and murder is a civic police volunteer who had unrestricted access to both the hospital and its emergency wing. The system of civic police volunteers, where there is no scrutiny before appointment and minimal accountability, is a result of Trinamool Congress policies that promote contractual workers with allegiance to the ruling party.
Ms. Banerjee can no longer play the victim card and must take the onus of the administrative mess exposed by the R G. Kar incident. This incident shook the people’s faith in the country’s only female CM.
Even before the outrage over the R.G. Kar incident, there had been several such incidents that raised questions about the security of women in West Bengal. The rape of a woman at Park Street inside a moving vehicle in 2012, the rape and murder of a college student at Kamduni in 2013, the gang rape of a tribal woman at Birbhum in 2014, and more recently rape and suicide of a teenager at Hanskhali in 2022, are instances where the CM could have come out of denial mode and put a proper mechanism in place. But she and her administration remained busy patting their own back, celebrating how Kolkata recorded fewer crimes against women and was the safest city for women. These claims have fallen flat, as even the State government’s advisory, meant to protect women working at night, suggests minimising night shifts for women.
The CM and her party leadership have to realise that populist policies can only help win elections, which should not be considered the end goal of democracy. They should invest in creating a sustainable society with equitable opportunities. In the absence of such opportunities, lumpensiation will rage across the State and mobs will take control of the streets.
The government should realise that populism has limits, a fact that is evident from certain clubs refusing financial grants offered by the government for organising Durga Puja in the aftermath of the gruesome crime.
The people of West Bengal take pride in celebrating Durga Puja, welcoming the female goddess into their homes, neighbourhoods, and city. However, the torture meted out to the 31-year-old doctor at her workplace will not only haunt Bengali society this festival season but for many autumns to come.
Published - August 22, 2024 01:02 am IST
