The gruesome rape and murder of a junior doctor at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata has taken a political turn, where pressure is mounting on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to resign. However, Mamata, who also heads the Trinamool Congress, is in no mood to oblige and appears determined to counter the massive BJP propaganda against her on various TV channels as well as social media.
She has already written a letter to the Prime Minister wherein she has drawn his attention to the rising cases of rape all over the country, and has called for collective efforts to take appropriate steps to deal with the emerging situation.
The BJP appears to be convinced that finally the West Bengal Chief Minister is on a shaky surface, and this could be perhaps the best opportune moment to dislodge her from office, thus ushering in the end of the Trinamool era. However, the way things are unfolding, it would be the Left parties, and not the BJP which would gain during this confrontation.
In fact, the various bodies connected with the CPM and its allies have stepped up their activity since they can sense that the BJP’s onslaught against Mamata is eventually going to benefit them. Mamata had wrested power from the Left parties after they had governed West Bengal for 34 years. However, even though the Trinamool domination since then has been complete, the Left still has its cadre intact and could bounce back if they were able to find any kind of opening.
In the present scenario, the BJP, which considers itself as the alternative to Trinamool, has gone all out against Mamata, though the impact of the ongoing agitation could only weaken her while not necessarily strengthening the saffron brigade.
However, it is important to understand the ramifications of what is going on in the state and what it can lead to. In our neighbourhood, Bangladesh has recently witnessed a change of leadership and is burning. The developments there would have serious security implications for India, particularly some of the northeastern states as well as West Bengal. At this juncture, Mamata is the undisputed leader of Bengal, and her word is taken seriously by all communities. But in the event of her being removed, things may get from bad to worse.
Therefore, while the gruesome rape and murder is most condemnable, the agitation there has many layers. At one level, there is a law and order and crime dimension, on the other there is politics. There is also the question of doctors’ safety as well as the politicisation of the bureaucracy and police forces which have come into focus.
The matter has reached the Apex Court where arguments on some basic features such as registration of the FIR and the timing of the complaint and other related matters have been spoken about. The Supreme Court developments have further highlighted that the theoretical aspects of law, and the practical usage sometimes are not consistent with each other.
In this respect, it would be important to point out that in the Supreme Court itself, on 14 March 1968, Justice A.N. Grover, was stabbed on his head while he was on a bench hearing a case along with then Chief Justice Hidayatullah and Justice Vaidyalingam. Justice Grover was rushed to the Willingdon (now Ram Manohar Lohia) hospital and the alleged assailant, Manmohan Das of Mushirabad in Bengal, was arrested.
The question is that the FIR in this case was not immediately registered but after a lapse. This was in violation of the theoretical aspects of law. The matter was investigated by Tek Chand Chopra under the supervision of Markandey Singh and M.D. Dittia and the gowns of the three judges which had blood stains, were subsequently made case property. While it was shown on paper that the gowns were taken from the courtroom, they were actually picked up from the respective residences of the honourable judges.
The arguments in the court in the present instance are about when the complaint was filed etc. So far as practices in Delhi police are concerned, and perhaps elsewhere also, the “Roznamcha ko rok liya jaye’’ (Daily Diary is manipulated) phenomenon is used. The police can suo-moto register a case on the basis of “Nakal report’’ and paperwork can follow. What happened in Kolkata is under the purview of the Apex Court, so it would be improper to comment on it.
Even in the Indira Gandhi assassination case, the FIR was not registered immediately as per the theoretical aspects of law. She was officially declared dead in the afternoon and the paperwork followed. The FIR was finally lodged the same evening but after a gap of some hours. The example is merely to state how the system works.
Coming back to the political slugfest that is on in Bengal, the Left could be the beneficiary if Mamata has to leave office, which does not appear to be how things may turn out. The BJP, which is believing that it is the alternative, also knows that this is not going to be so.
Senior leaders of the party and the Sangh would be primarily interested in creating differences within the I.N.D.I.A bloc, given that after the 2024 results, the NDA is also skating on thin ice. Depending on Nitish and Chandrababu Naidu is too much of a risk. Therefore, once I.N.D.I.A bloc starts showing cracks, the NDA survival would be easier. Between us.