Campus rape reignites political debate
Kolkata: Yet another incident of rape, 10 months after the brutal rape and murder of a PGT doctor at RG Kar, reignited the war of words between
Trinamool Congress
and opposition parties on Friday.
"This incident is not just a crime, it is a glaring proof of Trinamool Congress's student organisation netas tarnishing the sanctity of educational institutions.
A college campus, a sacred place where students come to acquire knowledge, witnessing such brutality is shameful for our society.
Trinamool's student netas have repeatedly misused their power to create an atmosphere of fear and anarchy in educational institutes," said
BJP
's Suvendu Adhikari.
CPM's Sujan Chakraborty, while leading a rally outside Kasba police station, took a dig at main accused Monojit Mishra's association with TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee.
He said, "To make the campuses — from RG Kar to this law college — free of crime, they must be freed from grassroots influences. Illegal unions must be shut down. Student union polls need to be organised."
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SFI, AIDSO, and SUCI also took out rallies outside the college and Kasba PS. "How can such incidents happen again and again?" asked Sougata Tarafdar, secretary of SFI district committee of Jadavpur University. "When such incidents happen, there is inevitably a sense of fear and apprehension among parents."
A group of demonstrators even scaled the law college gate and tore down posters of CM Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee on the campus. Meanwhile, outside Kasba PS, Left supporters clashed with cops, forcing deployment of RAF. There was a massive traffic jam on Rasbehari Avenue connector from afternoon till evening because of the protests.
A commuter stuck in traffic near Bijan Setu said, "We have been stuck for past 15-20 minutes.
We were on our way to the hospital and are now stuck."
Piya, who was travelling by bus to her officer near Gariahat, said, "I am very late for my work. I cannot simply sit and wait in the bus."
Trinamool functionaries termed the incident "heinous" and said they were "pained". They also lauded the cop effort for arresting the culprits within 12 hours of the incident being reported. "We are standing with the survivor. There are no words to condemn such a heinous crime, but we want to tell her that those who committed this barbarity were arrested immediately.
A probe is underway. We want the woman to receive justice.
There will be a thorough probe and the culprits will receive the strictest punishment," said minister Sashi Panja.
Urging the opposition not to do politics over such a tragic incident, Panja asked why the Aparajita Bill that got passed in the WB legislative assembly was yet to be approved by the Centre. "BJP wants to politicise such matters. If they are really serious about such heinous crimes, instead of resorting to theatrics on the streets, express your support for the Bill. Ask the President to pass it. A woman's body is not your political battlefield," she said.
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