Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her Trinamool Congress are facing one of the worst ever protests. The fiery Trinamool leader has painted herself into a corner with mis-steps in the Kolkata rape-murder case and explosive revelations in the case have both shocked the country and made people take to the streets. From doctors, paramedics to opposition parties and ordinary citizens, the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital horror has everyone’s ire directed at Mamata Banerjee and her party. The worst news for Mamata, who has harped on Ma, Mati and Manush, is the anger of one of her key constituents — women.
The mishandling of the case has fuelled public outrage across India, with people criticising the state government’s response. Thousands of people from all walks of life took to the streets for a midnight vigil demanding justice for the victim in Kolkata on Wednesday.
Candle marches were taken out in cities, including in Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad. A sea of women protesters took to Kolkata’s streets.
In his Independence Day address on Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasised the need for speedy investigation and punishment in cases of crime against women for public trust to be restored in the system.
Mamata Banerjee appears cornered, with her back against the wall, as people question the Trinamool and the Opposition, including the BJP and CPI(M), alleging a lack of transparency in the case. Mamata and her party are under pressure from both the people and political parties.
That she is in a desperate situation is evident from her asymmetric comparison of the Kolkata protests to the anarchy in Bangladesh. The BJP and CPI(M) are trying to “pull off a Bangladesh in Bengal”.
That the outpouring of anger isn’t just about the RG Kar incident is clear. Bengal has seen instances of horrific crimes against women under Mamata’s watch. Her reactions to some of them haven’t helped. This anger and angst is a culmination of years of living a worried life over women’s safety in a state that has loved to showcase itself as progressive.
Mamata had been in difficult situations earlier too, but she managed to turn adversity into advantage. However, this time, it could be very different.
PM MODI SLAMS CRIME AGAINST WOMEN FROM RED FORT
The pressure on Mamata Banerjee intensified after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his Independence Day speech from the ramparts of the Red Fort, indirectly referenced the trainee doctor’s rape and murder at RG Kar Medical College, calling for the strictest punishment for those who commit such “monstrous deeds.”
RG Kar Medical College is one of the busiest government hospitals in West Bengal and doctors sweat it out to serve the common people there.
“I would like to express my pain once again, from the Red Fort today… Speedy investigation of crimes against women, those executing these monstrous deeds need to be awarded strict punishment at the earliest – this is important to instil confidence in society,” as PM Modi said. It was clear that he referred to the grisly crime in Kolkata.
“It is the need of the hour, that extensive discussion on those receiving punishment be held so that those committing this sin understand that this leads to hanging. I think it is very important to instil this fear,” he added.
Mamata had already been at loggerheads with the BJP over the Kolkata rape-murder case.
On Wednesday (August 14), Mamata Banerjee slammed political parties for “indulging in cheap politics” over the rape and murder of a trainee doctor, a case for which she has faced heavy criticism over its handling.
Then, without necessity or relevance, she brought up Bangladesh in her rhetoric.
“Instead of standing with the (woman’s) family, CPI(M) and BJP are indulging in cheap politics. They think they can do a Bangladesh here. But let me tell you, I am not greedy for power,” she said.
As protests mounted, Rahul Gandhi slammed the conduct of the RG Kar Hospital in Kolkata and local authorities over the incident, alleging there was an “attempt to save the accused”. Trinamool Congress is a constituent of the INDIA bloc, which has Rahul’s Congress as the biggest party.
MAMATA GOVERNMENT’S MISSTEPS ON KOLKATA RAPE-MURDER
The Mamata Banerjee-led TMC government of West Bengal faced significant criticism for its handling of the Kolkata rape and murder case and the missteps.
The Kolkata Police took hours to inform the family about the doctor’s body being found, which raised suspicions about their neutrality. Initially, a case of ‘unnatural death’ was registered, instead of a murder case, which was unusual given the circumstances and evidence.
There was no significant progress in the case for five days after the incident, following which the victim’s family approached the Calcutta High Court.
The most alarming of them was the case of the hospital’s principal. Following his resignation, Sandip Ghosh was appointed to a plum position at another Kolkata hospital immediately after he resigned from RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, the scene of the crime.
There were allegations that the hospital and the police were involved in a cover-up, which led to the Calcutta High Court transferring the case to the CBI.
The post-mortem suggested that the rape and murder might have involved more than one person. Vaginal swab analysis revealed the quantity of fluid was not that of one single person. It suggested she had been gang-raped.
The negligence and lack of transparency displayed by the Kolkata Police in handling the case have left Mamata Banerjee facing widespread public outrage.
MAMATA LANDS IN A TOUGH SPOT, SHE’D BEEN BEFORE
In the meantime, the ‘Reclaim the Night’ protest in Kolkata on Wednesday night turned chaotic as a mob, disguised as protestors, entered the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, breaking barricades and smashing chairs on the ground. The emergency ward and police vehicles parked outside were vandalised too.
Following the attacks on Mamata Banerjee gained more intensity, coinciding with PM Modi’s Independence Day address. BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari claimed that the vandalism was done by “TMC goons” sent by party chief Mamata Banerjee. The BJP on Thursday sought the resignation of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee too.
Meanwhile, nurses protested at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on Thursday, over the vandalism.
There’s a notable unease within the ranks and files of the TMC as well.
Although many Trinamool Congress members had opposed the Wednesday march, TMC Rajya Sabha MP Sukhendu Sekhar Ray expressed his support on social media.
“Tomorrow I am going to join the protesters, particularly because I’ve a daughter and little granddaughter like millions of Bengali families. We must rise to the occasion. Enough of cruelty against women. Let’s resist together. Come what may,” Sukhendu Sekhar Ray posted on X.
Trinamool Congress MP, actor, Dev Adhikari also expressed solidarity with the protests.
GRUESOME SEXUAL ASSAULTS ON WOMEN IN MAMATA’S BENGAL
The RG Kar Medical College rape-murder and Mamata’s handling of the response was nothing new. Mamata has had a history of trying to play down the most horrific of cases.
Mamata Banerjee swept the Bengal polls to power in 2011. Her slogan since then has been Ma, Maati, Manush — women, land and the people.
In 2012, the country was witness to the sensational Park Street gangrape case. Five people gang-raped a woman who they had met at a nightclub in Kolkata’s Park Street. The survivor, who came out in public revealing her identity, fought courageously. Mamata Banerjee tried to victim-shame her and dismissed the incident as “shajano ghotona” (a staged incident).
Then came the terrible Kamduni gang-rape case of 2013. A 20-year-old college student was gang-raped by eight men. They tore apart her legs up to the navel, slit her throat and dumped her body in a field. The police is reported to have botched up the probe that led to the accused being let off with light punishment.
The Kamduni case was brought to mind last year after the punishment to the accused were commuted by the Calcutta High Court. Hundreds of protesters, particularly women, took to the streets.
So, there is collective angst in these unprecedented protests. The anger of people, whose patience has worn thin, is getting reflected in the protests.
MAMATA HAS TURNED ADVERSITY INTO ADVANTAGE EARLIER
Although Mamata Banerjee is known to bounce back from attacks and adversities, she is undeniably in a very tough spot this time.
That said, from emerging victorious in the 2001 West Bengal elections after walking out of the NDA, to leveraging the “Mans Machli” narrative for gains, she has turned adversity into advantage.
In 2001, Mamata Banerjee resigned from the Vajpayee-led NDA government after the Tehelka scandal exposed corruption in defence deals involving top BJP leaders. While many saw it as a setback, she soon established her party as the main opposition in West Bengal, marking a key step in her political ascent.
Later in 2007-2008, Mamata Banerjee strongly opposed the Left Front government’s land acquisition policies, particularly in Singur and Nandigram. In Singur, she opposed the acquisition of fertile agricultural land by the then Left Front government to set up Tata Motors’ Nano factory. In Nandigram, her struggle was against the government’s proposal to acquire land for a Special Economic Zone (SEZ), which would have involved significant land seizures.
Her continued protests and agitation eventually led to the fall of the Left Front government in 2011, paving the way for the Trinamool Congress to come to power.
Mamata and her TMC were on the back foot in the 2019 general elections. When she got the feeling that the election wasn’t going in her favour, she turned a BJP show-of-strength procession to bounce back. The vandalism of the 200-year-old Vidyasagar statue was used by her to Trinamool’s advantage. She successfully called the BJP, “an outsider party”. Mamata and her party members changed their Twitter (now X) to display pictures to that of the bust of the cultural icon to reinforce their “ownership”. The last rounds of the election revealed how that strategy worked for her.
During the 2024 Lok Sabha election, Mamata Banerjee effectively used the BJP’s “mans and machli” remarks to and countered the attacks to amplify the “outsider” narrative. She portrayed the BJP as attacking Bengali culture and identity.
Her party even won the Basirhat Lok Sabha constituency in the recent elections, which includes Sandeshkhali — a village where women reported serious allegations of sexual exploitation and rape involving TMC leader Sheikh Shahjahan.
The BJP had amplified the Sandeshkhali issue and had fielded Rekha Partra, a survivor from the village.
Although Mamata Banerjee has proven time and again that she’s got a knack for bouncing back from political storms. But this time, with the Kolkata rape-murder case questioning her police, transparency, and women’s safety has put her in choppy waters. It is to be seen if Mamata Banerjee can find out a way to wriggle out of this tight spot unscathed before the crucial 2026 assembly elections.
