West Bengal: TMC calls passage of 'Aparajita' anti-rape bill "historic"; BJP terms it "dramabaazi"

Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], September 3 : The West Bengal Assembly unanimously passed the 'Aparajita Woman and Child Bill (West Bengal Criminal Laws and Amendment) 2024', after which the West Bengal government called it "historic" and on the other hand the Bharatiya Janata Party termed it as "dramabaazi" of the state government.
Earlier today, the West Bengal Assembly unanimously passed the 'Aparajita Woman and Child Bill (West Bengal Criminal Laws and Amendment) 2024'.
TMC leader Kunal Ghosh said that "history" has been created in the West Bengal legislative assembly.
"For the first time a bill has been passed by Mamata Banerjee led government to provide stringent punishment to those involved in incidents of rape and murder. The Governor of West Bengal should provide assent to the bill," Kunal Ghosh said.
Kunal Ghosh also met with three junior doctors who protested at BB Ganguly Street in Kolkata, demanding the resignation of Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal, over the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital rape-murder case.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee extended her support for West Bengal Criminal Laws Amendment Bill 2024 and said that the bill is being brought to secure the dignity of women and if Bengal is abused, it will have a ripple effect.
CM Mamata Banerjee said, "I had written two letters to the Prime Minister, but I did not get any reply from him, rather I got a reply from the Minister of Women and Child Development, but I also replied to her reply and informed the Prime Minister. When the Code of Justice Bill was passed in a hurry before the elections, I had said that it should not be passed in a hurry, the states were not consulted in this. I had opposed it many times as no advice was taken from the states in this regard, it should have been passed after discussing with the Rajya Sabha, the opposition, and all the parties, but this was not done. That is why today we are bringing this (bill) to secure protection for women. If Bengal is ill-treated, then it will have spillover effect."
Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party said that Mamata Banerjee is doing "dramabaazi" and the legislation brought today was "unconstitutional."
Union MoS and BJP leader Sukanta Majumdar said, "Mamata Banerjee is doing 'dramabaazi'. The legislation brought today is unconstitutional. There is already a central law which has the provision of the death penalty. So the legislation brought by Mamata Banerjee today is only 'dramabaazi'. This legislation will be challenged in Supreme Court and it will be cancelled."
BJP MP Saumitra Khan said that the BJP supported the (anti-rape) bill in the Assembly.
"There is nothing called rules in West Bengal...I have written to the Union Law Minister to invoke Article 355 in West Bengal as the condition in the state is worse than it is in J&K...The BJP has supported the (anti-rape) bill. But why are you (TMC govt) supporting the Police commissioner and also favouring Sandip Ghosh? The bill has been brought for publicity," Khan said.
BJP leader Dr Anirban Ganguly said that bringing the legislation is also a "show-off."
"TMC has been in power since 2011 in West Bengal. The 2012 Park Street incident, then in Hanskhali, Kamduni and other incidents of atrocities against women...It is on record what is the CM's mentality in this issue. She either made fun of or raised questions about the character of the victim. Bringing this legislation is also a show-off. She thinks all the protests will die down after this legislation. She should cooperate with CBI. Why is Sandip Ghosh still not suspended from the Health Dept...?" Ganguly said.
Assam Assembly Dy Speaker Dr Numal Momin said that the entire nation should have capital punishment for rape and murder case.
"It took Mamata Banerjee an incident like RG medical college rape and murder to table this anti-rape bill. It is very pathetic that the entire country adopted this anti-rape bill but Mamata Banerjee was inactive... But it is a welcome move by her and I will be very happy if Mamata Banerjee, after passing this bill, gives capital punishment to the culprit of RG Kar rape and murder case...If the medicos don't have the security, then what would happen to the common people in West Bengal? So this new bill will give a boost to the law of our land... Not only West Bengal, the entire nation should have capital punishment for rape and murder case," Momin said.
JMM MP Mahua Maji said that these kinds of bills (anti-rape bill) can also be used to give punishment to innocent people.
"Many strict laws were passed after the Nirbhaya gang rape incident...But the implementation which should have happened did not happen...RG Kar Medical College and Hospital's rape-murder incident is very unfortunate but the BJP also tried to play politics over it...These kinds of bills (anti-rape bill) can also be used to give punishment to innocent people. Law should be given its due time and these kind of bills should not be passed in a hurry," Maji said.
Earlier, BJP MLAs carried out a protest march from State Assembly in Kolkata, demanding the resignation of CM Mamata Banerjee over the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital rape and murder case.
Meanwhile, doctors protested outside the Police Headquarters against the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital's rape-murder incident.
"Our demand to the Commisioner of Police (CP) was that he should resign because of the lapse in the procedure and failure to provide security on August 14... He said that he had done his duty satisfactorily but if the higher authorities say that he should be removed from his position, then he will accept it... The CP has not given satisfactory answers to our questions," one of the protesters said.
"We asked the CP if he was satisfied with his work. He said that he is satisfied with his work but if the higher authorities consider our deputation and remove him from his position and send him somewhere else, then he will accept that happily... We were protesting here because we wanted to submit the deputation, we have done that so now we are closing the protest from here, but our protest will continue, we are only winding it up from here (Police Headquarters)...," a doctor who was protesting out the Kolkata Police Headquarters.
The Centre moved an application in the Supreme Court concerning the deployment of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel at the RG Kar Medical College and says that duty personnel are facing a lot of difficulties in performing duties due to the non-availability of accommodation, security gadgets and paucity of transportation.
Centre, in its application in the Supreme Court, seeks direction to West Bengal to extend full co-operation to the CISF and ensure full compliance, in letter and spirit, of the order dated August 20 or face contempt proceedings for wilful non-compliance of the order.
Earlier today, the former principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hopsital, Dr Sandip Ghosh, was sent to 8-day police custody. The next hearing of the case will be on September 10.
The Anti-Corruption Branch of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested Dr Sandip Ghosh, along with three others, over alleged corruption and financial misconduct at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on Monday.
The West Bengal Health Department also suspended RG Kar Medical College and the Hospital's former principal Dr Sandip Ghosh.
The trainee doctor was found dead in the seminar hall of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on August 9.