KOLKATA: Amid the ongoing protests that have rocked West Bengal following the rape and murder of a 31-year-old junior doctor at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9, revelations of the Trinamool Congress government’s laxity, if not direct involvement of its party cadres in various wrong-doings in the health sector, the alleged police cover-up of the murder have all contributed to the impression that the Trinamool Congress government and party under Mamata Banerjee have a lot to hide and give answers for.
The sustained public protests across the state and their demand for “Justice for RG Kar” have also triggered similar protests in other states as well as in foreign countries by the Indian diaspora.
In a bid to talk up the spirits of her party members, Trinamool supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee chose the platform of her party’s student wing on August 28. However, she ended up causing more damage with her intemperate remarks.
Advising junior doctors who are on strike across the state to rejoin work, Mamata Banerjee said: “Junior doctors’ future will be ruined if FIR (First Information Report) is filed—they will not get any chance, they will not get a passport, visa. But I do not want to ruin their lives.”
This was construed as a threat by a section of doctors who vowed to continue with suspension of work, and protests.
Targeting those who are blaming her party for the ills of the state, Mamata Banerjee also said that she felt it was time her earlier slogan, “Badla noi, badal chai (I want change, not revenge)” be abandoned.
“I never wanted revenge. But now I say, you will understand well what needs to be done. I don’t want trouble. Today, you will understand what needs to be done. But the ugly, slanderous one that bites you every day, you don’t bite him but you can hiss,” she added, much to the delight of her party’s members who are feeling the heat in their areas. “You need not bite anybody, but at least you can hiss,” she said, referring to a parable attributed to Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa.
As per the parable, the monk advised a snake “not to bite anybody but surely hiss when attacked,” meaning that “while not harming is the principle, protesting against injustice is right.”
The Chief Minister referred to the popular parable to energise the activists of the student wings to oppose “propaganda” against her government on the issue of the rape and murder of a junior doctor of state-run RG Kar Medical College & Hospital in Kolkata
Soon after she made the statement, scathing criticisms flooded both from the Opposition parties as well as from different walks of society claiming the Chief Minister was “instigating” her party followers to adopt the “path of revenge” to silence the voices of protest against the rape and murder.
Union Minister and BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar met West Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose and accused Banerjee of allegedly inciting unrest through her statements. “We have requested the Governor to protect the rights of people in Bengal and take whatever measures are necessary to lift the state out of this dire situation,” Majumdar said.
The Chief Minister said that her “hiss” remark was not aimed at silencing the protests by the medical fraternity or students but to counter the “negative politics” of the BJP and the Union government against the state government. “Let me most emphatically clarify that I have not uttered a single word against the (medical etc) students or their movements. I support their movement. Their movement is genuine. I never threatened them, as some people are accusing me of doing. This allegation is completely false. I have spoken against the 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. With support from the Centre, they are trying to create lawlessness and I have raised my voice against them,” read the statement from the Chief Minister posted on social media platform X.
She said that the phrase “Phonsh Kora” (hissing), which she referred to, is a quote from Ramakrishna Paramahansa. “The legendary saint had said that occasionally there is a need to raise one’s voice. When there are crimes and criminal offences, a voice of protest has to be raised. My speech on that point was a direct allusion to the great Ramakrishnite saying,” her post read.
Despite Mamata Banerjee’s laboured clarification, as protests continue to swell, Trinamool Congress leaders including MPs and MLAs walked the talk by issuing threats and making derogatory remarks about the protesters. In a video that has surfaced online, Trinamool leader and former councillor from Ashoknagar in North 24 Parganas Atish Sarkar was seen referring to Mamata Banerjee’s “hiss” comment and issuing threats to protestors. “Those who are criticising the character of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, we will go to your house and put up lewd pictures of your mothers and sisters on your wall,” he was seen saying. “You will not be able to remove them.” He also warned the public that they should remain safe, especially if the Trinamool Congress decides to “hiss”. “If we are out on the streets after dark, ready to hiss, do you think any of you can go home safely?” Sarkar said in his public address.
On Monday, the Trinamool Congress announced that Sarkar has been suspended from the party for a year.
Actor-and-Trinamool Congress MLA, Kanchan Mullick also drew backlash from his film industry peers after his comments on protestors at a party-led protest at Konnagar in Hooghly district on Saturday. “Many people have said not to take donations for Durga Puja, it is their personal decision. But those who are on cease-work strike against the ruling party, will they take the government salary and bonus? Will you return the government award?” he asked.
On the same day, at another Trinamool-led protest site at Coochbehar’s Dinhata, North Bengal Development Minister and known motormouth Udayan Guha was heard encouraging party supporters to “sting back”. “If they sting once, they will have to sting five times. If they implant one tooth, you have to arrange to implant five teeth in return. Only then the lies and the conspiracy to create this disturbance will stop,” Guha said in his public address.
Another Trinamool Congress MLA from Sonarpur in South 24-Parganas district, Lovely Maitra, was caught on camera at a party-led protest at Sonarpur in South 24 Parganas district mocking Communist Party of India Marxist (CPIM) leaders like Sujan Chakraborty and Sayan Banerjee. She said: “Leaders like Sayan and Sujan can wander around now, because in 2011 we created badal [change] not badla [revenge]. But in 2024, we will take revenge.” Maitra also said that the party knows how to deal with those who “point fingers” at the Chief Minister. “We can crush those fingers who point fingers at our honourable Chief Minister,” she added.
Trinamool’s Bankura MP Arup Chakraborty said that once party workers take a stand and “hiss”, those who are protesting against the rape and murder of a junior doctor at RG Kar Hospital and “misleading people”, will “flee like dogs”. “Awaken your conscience. Save (West) Bengal. Stand with Mamata Banerjee. We are there in Delhi’s Parliament. Trinamool Congress workers will have to hiss. Friends, you hiss and they will flee like dogs, they will run like foxes,” said Chakraborty at a party meeting in Bankura.
In the same speech, he said, “We wanted change, not revenge, after coming to power in 2011. But they have crossed all limits. They are misleading the people and making them say that people will not accept Kanyashree or Durga Puja grants (in protest against the rape and murder case). If they have the guts, they should take out a rally and show how many people are with them.”
He called on women workers and student workers of the party to take a stand against protesters “spreading rumours about the case”.
A few days earlier, Chakraborty had stated in a public meeting that “if doctors, instead of treating patients and in the garb of protests, roam about with their boyfriends or go home and the patients die, there will be public outrage. If hospitals get gheraoed, they should not come to us to save them.”
Trinamool Congress supporters and leaders did not stop at issuing verbal threats.
In the north Bengal town of Mathabhanga, protesters were allegedly attacked by Trinamool supporters. The attackers wiped off graffiti—showing slippers with a message in Bengali—which the protesters had painted on the road. Cops on Thursday arrested three Trinamool activists. All three got bail after being produced in court.
The rally was organised by Paschim Banga Ganatrantrik Lekhok Shilpi and Bharatiya Gononatya Sangha. Nabin Paul, part of one of the groups, said the graffiti was not targeted at anybody.
Biswajit Roy, president of Trinamool Congress Mathabhanga Town Block Committee, said: “No one was beaten up. The protesters had drawn the graffiti trying to politicize the issue. Our men erased those.”
Condemning the alleged violence, BJP state president and Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar posted on X: “Trinamool is anti-democratic, Trinamool is anti-humanity! The notorious forces of Trinamool Congress suddenly attacked the peaceful citizen’s protest in Mathabhanga, North Bengal. The protest program demanding justice for Tilottama was marred by unprovoked violence and threats.” He added, “Pictures were forcibly removed from the street. The police stood silent like a mute spectator! Can you extinguish the fire of protest by stifling democracy using notorious forces, Honorable Chief Minister?”
Demonstrations demanding justice for the rape and murder of a postgraduate resident doctor at Kolkata were marred by reports of hooliganism and drunken attacks, with women participants facing assaults from the very type of predators they were rallying against. Drunken youths, allegedly Trinamool supporters, attacked a Class 11 student during the “Reclaim the Night” protest in Kanchrapara.
In Barasat, a 30-year-old man was arrested for making lewd comments at two women after a protest rally. The man attacked the women and their relatives when they protested.
Trinamool Congress instructed its members to avoid insensitive remarks on the RG Kar issue. General secretary Abhishek Banerjee called for humility and respect towards the protests. But it was too late, the “hiss” has encouraged Trinamool Congress activists to bare their fangs.