Lawlessness in West Bengal is not a new happening. Syndicate Raj of Communist period (from 1977 to 2011) was a dark chapter in its history. In that period, illegal migrants of Bangladesh, Naxals/Maoists along with cadres of Communists and an-odd political opponents formed the major units of goon-raj. It was unfortunate that Mamata Banerjee acquired those very goon-tantra in her administration in 2011 election forcing her to hand-over major stakes to those very goons making it the darkest period of WB. Further, her DNA of Congress has given her an additional “Muslim Vote-bank Politics” that has made her govt to behave as pro-Muslim. This approach of her govt by default, has made it look like anti-Hindu. This is why SC/ST Hindu women of Sandeshkhali suffered for long with her police behaving indifferent. This is also why radical Muslims of Bengal disrupt almost all Hindu festivals. This is why majority of illegal Muslim migrants of Bangladesh or Rohingya find shelter, given fake IDs to acquire ration cards and other documents for citizenship thus becoming Mamata’s ‘Muslim vote-bank’. She has been riding the evil tiger fully knowing that the day she dismounts, she will not survive. Hence, she has to gulp all evil acts of her party goons/ministers including the increasing Islamic radicalization, religious hate crimes and rampant corruptions (read “Bengal at the Heap of Corruptions”, https://thecounterviews.in/articles/bengal-partha-ssc-cow-smuggling-coal-scam/). She has no choice but to keep dancing to the tunes of the rogue elements in her party. It is also unfortunate that despite increasing lawlessness in the state, Union Home Minister, the PM and the President of India are indifferent in pulling the Mamata Govt or imposing art 356 to get rid of the atrocities by her and her TMC cadre. The Union Govt seems more concerned with the electoral repercussions if any, than dealing with the lawlessness in the state.
The national Trends
Not that molestations and rapes are not happening in the other parts of the country, but callousness shown by Mamata (WB) and Gehlot (Rajasthan) has been the worst. Routinely, Mamata tried to look the other way on rapes by numerous rogue elements incl her TMC cadres. On the other hand, Gehlot’s police was reluctant to register FIRs against ‘Muslim vote-bank’ rapists. Although Sexual Violence against women are invariably surrounded in politics (read “Politics of rapes in India”, https://thecounterviews.in/articles/politics-rapes-india-murder-causes-factors-socio-etiological-prevention/), approaches of a few state govts have been atrocious at best. Various steps have also been suggested towards minimizing the evil of rape both by social scientists (read “Preventive & Promotive Steps against Rapes”, https://thecounterviews.in/articles/politics-rapes-india-murder-causes-factors-socio-etiological-prevention/) as well as by the govt esp following the Nirbhaya case in 2012 (as recommended by Justice Varma Commission). However, approach by the state govts have been far from satisfactory and as a result, there is hardly any significant reduction in sexual violence against women.
Bottomlines
It is unfortunate that sexual violence in Indian states have become a regular phenomenon. Although central laws are stringent in the newly enacted “Bharteey Nyay Samhita”, the approach by many states are deplorable. Among these, callousness displayed by Mamata Banerjee is highly deplorable. WB doesn’t have a Women’s Helpline and its police seldom registers FIRs on molestations & rapes unless approved by political leadership. Mamata Banerjee herself has been guilty of blaming the victims for the crimes committed mostly by her goons. In the present case of the Doctors rape & gruesome murder in RG Kar hospital, her police tried to dispose-off the case as suicide. Next, she tried to scuttle the investigation by letting her party-goons to tamper the evidence. She also tried to lump the anger of the doctors as politically motivated. Mamata Banerjee and her WB Govt is undoubtedly immoral and needs to go. Neither the people of WB nor the nation trust the law & order machineries of the state. That is why CBI investigation was sought.