Panihati (West Bengal): BJP leader Smriti Irani on Thursday accompanied Ratna Debnath, the mother of the RG Kar rape-murder victim, as she filed her nomination as the Bharatiya Janata Party candidate from Panihati in West Bengal.
During the occasion, Irani launched a sharp attack on the ruling Trinamool Congress, raising concerns over women’s safety, alleged corruption, and incidents of violence, while asserting that justice would be ensured.
Addressing reporters, Irani said, “I am here today for the nomination of that mother in West Bengal whose daughter was not only brutally murdered but also raped. That mother, exercising her democratic right today, has sounded the bugle on the electoral battlefield.”
Ratna Debnath is the mother of the junior doctor at the state-run R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, who was raped and murdered within the hospital premises in August 2024. She is also a voter from the Panihati constituency, from where she is now contesting the Assembly election.
Irani further accused the Trinamool Congress of disrespecting Debnath, saying, “It is a matter of anguish, something that should anger all of us, that the Trinamool’s goons are insulting this mother on the streets also. I urge every citizen of the country to support and bless this brave mother. I urge the people of West Bengal to vote for this mother who has emerged as a symbol of the fight for justice for everyone.”
Her remarks came a day after Debnath alleged that she was targeted during a door-to-door campaign in Panihati, where tensions escalated after a group of women confronted her and raised slogans.
According to Debnath, the situation worsened when she moved through another lane and was allegedly surrounded by individuals she described as miscreants along with ASHA workers.
She claimed that they attempted to attack her, threw objects, and some even pulled her hair during the confrontation. Several of her supporters were also reported to have sustained injuries in the scuffle.
From Panihati, the Trinamool Congress has fielded Tirthankar Ghosh, son of sitting MLA and current Chief Whip of the party in the state Assembly, Nirmal Ghosh. The latter’s name had earlier surfaced in a controversy related to alleged arrangements for the hurried cremation of the victim’s body.
The RG Kar rape and murder case dates back to August 9, 2024, when a 31-year-old postgraduate trainee doctor was found dead inside a seminar room at the hospital in Kolkata, triggering outrage and protests across the country with widespread demands for justice.
Following criticism over the initial handling of the case, the Calcutta High Court transferred the investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation, which has since made multiple arrests in connection with the case.
Polling for the 294-member West Bengal Assembly is scheduled to be held in two phases on April 23 and April 29, with the counting of votes set for May 4, as per the Election Commission of India.
(IANS)
