Mamata Banerjee Denies Threat Allegations in Kolkata Doctor Rape-Murder Case

Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday took to social media platform X, denying claims that she threatened students protesting against the rape and murder of a 31-year-old trainee doctor at the state-run RG Kar hospital on August 9. She claimed that some media organisations were running a “malicious disinformation campaign” against her.

Referring to her speech during the 27th foundation day rally of the West Bengal Trinamool Chhatra Parishad in Kolkata on Wednesday, she said, “I detect a malicious disinformation campaign in some print, electronic and digital media which has been unleashed with reference to a speech that I made in our students’ programme yesterday. Let me most emphatically clarify that I have not uttered a single word against the (medical etc.) students or their movements. I totally support their movement.”

The Bengal CM said she never threatened the protesting doctors and alleged that some people were making false accusations.

“I never threatened them, as some people are accusing me of doing. This allegation is completely false,” she said.

She clarified her stance, saying, “I have spoken against BJP. I have spoken against them because, with the support of the Government of India, they are threatening the democracy in our State and trying to create anarchy…I also clarify that the phrase (“phonsh kara”) that I had used in my speech yesterday is a quote from Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa Deva…My speech on that point was a direct allusion to the great Ramakrishnite saying.”

The protesting doctors on Wednesday objected to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s that an “FIR could ruin their future”. The doctors who have taken to the streets since the rape and murder at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College have decided to continue their protest despite Banerjee urging them to end the strike and return to work.

“I support the junior doctors’ agitation. They are protesting because their colleagues have been raped and murdered. We will not take any action against you, but I appeal to you to join work. The Supreme Court also requested the doctors to join work,” Banerjee said while addressing an event at the foundation day event of the Trinamool Congress’s student wing.

“The Supreme Court had also appealed to junior doctors to join work. One must remember that the SC said that it was up to the state government to take action. We didn’t take action. If an FIR is filed against you, your future will be ruined. He or she won’t get a passport or visa,” the Chief Minister added.

Row Over President Murmu’s ‘Enough is Enough” Remark

Meanwhile, a row has erupted over President Droupadi Murmu’s remarks on the Kolkata rape and murder and several Opposition leaders have opposed her statements. TMC Spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said the President “sounded like a BJP politician”.

The Opposition said the President never commented on crimes against women in other states, especially the ones ruled by the BJP, and cited examples of atrocities during the Manipur crisis and the Hathras incident.

President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday said she was “dismayed and horrified” to learn about the Kolkata crime.

“No civilised society can allow daughters and sisters to be subjected to such atrocities,” the President said, adding, “Enough is enough”.

“Even as students, doctors and citizens were protesting in Kolkata, criminals remained on prowl elsewhere,” President Murmu said.

BJP Reacts

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) quickly responded to Banerjee’s clarification. The saffron party’s Media Cell In-Charge, Amit Malviya, in a post on X, went on to quote Banerjee from her Wednesday speech and counter her clarification.

He wrote, “This is what Mamata Banerjee, the Chief Minister of Bengal said, Junior doctors’ future will be ruined if FIR is filed, they will not get passport-visa.”

“Mamata Banerjee is digging herself deeper in the hole with this clarification. Shame on her for threatening medical students, demanding justice for their colleague, a young lady doctor, who was brutally raped and murdered in the RG Kar Medical College & Hospital,” he added.