Amid outrage over Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA Madan Mitra’s controversial comments on the alleged gangrape of a student in Kolkata, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Bhola Singh has strongly criticised the ruling party, accusing it of blaming the victim instead of supporting her and taking strict action.
Speaking to ANI on Tuesday, Singh said, “Instead of supporting the woman and taking action, we are seeing TMC leaders shift blame onto the survivor. Even if she made a mistake, she has suffered. The government should focus on punishing those responsible, not questioning the victim.”
His remarks come days after TMC issued a show-cause notice to Madan Mitra, the Kamarhati MLA, for suggesting that the incident could have been avoided had the survivor not gone to the location alone.
Mitra had controversially said, “If that girl had not gone there, this wouldn’t have happened. If she had informed someone or taken friends along, this wouldn’t have happened.” His comments sparked widespread criticism from various quarters, including civil society and opposition parties.
The alleged incident took place on June 25 at South Calcutta Law College in Kolkata’s Kasba area. Four accused, including main suspect Manojit Mishra, have been arrested. The case is being investigated by a Special Investigation Team (SIT).
Meanwhile, Kolkata Police Commissioner Manoj Kumar Verma has urged media and the public not to disclose the identity of the survivor, citing the sensitivity of the case. “We have arrested four persons within 12 hours and are collecting all necessary evidence. Strict action will be taken,” he said.
A four-member BJP fact-finding team, including former Union Ministers Satpal Singh, Meenakshi Lekhi, MP Biplab Kumar Deb, and Rajya Sabha MP Manan Kumar Mishra, also visited Kolkata to assess the situation.
The incident has intensified political tensions in West Bengal, with the BJP accusing the TMC of failing to ensure women’s safety and the TMC facing internal backlash over Mitra’s remarks.
