The rape and murder of a trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata triggered a rift within the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) over the handling of the issue and the ensuing protests across West Bengal and the country. "There are differences within the party on how the incident should have been tackled. Some feel the state's response has been slow, allowing the protests to escalate. Others believe that opposition parties have seized the opportunity to use the protests against the government," a senior TMC leader said on condition of anonymity.
The leader said that these differences of opinion among party people created an impression that the TMC is not united on the issue. "The fact that what the party's top leadership is saying on the issue has not been echoed by other leaders is a matter of concern. It is sending out a wrong message not only among the masses but also among the entire rank and file," he said.
What did other TMC leaders say?
Commenting on the ongoing protests, senior TMC leader and MLA Madan Mitra remarked that the public outrage is reminiscent of the Nandigram and Singur anti-land acquisition protests against the previous Left Front regime.
"We witnessed similar protests during the Nandigram and Singur anti-land acquisition protests against the Left Front regime. It was the TMC that led those protests. If people want a change of government, they can exercise their franchise in the 2026 assembly polls," he said.
Senior TMC MP Sukhendu Sekhar Ray took a strong stance against the doctor’s case and condemned the incident in no uncertain terms. Ray, a Rajya Sabha MP of TMC, expressed his sorrow and anger over the tragedy and said that it was time to rise against the crimes against women.
Ray on Sunday demanded that the CBI conduct custodial interrogation of Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal and previous principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital Sandip Ghosh in connection with its probe into the alleged rape-murder of the woman doctor.
"CBI must act fairly. Custodial interrogation of the ex-principal and police commissioner is a must to know who and why the suicide story was floated," the TMC Rajya Sabha MP wrote in a social media post.
Kolkata Police summons TMC leader
Following this, Kolkata Police summoned Ray for questioning. A miffed Ray on Monday moved the Calcutta High Court, challenging the notice sent to him by police. Ray is not alone in his criticism. Party spokesperson Santanu Sen lost his position as spokesperson after he questioned the state government over why no action was taken against Ghosh.
"I fail to understand why efforts are being made to save Ghosh. I, myself, being a doctor and an alumnus of RG Kar hospital, am well aware of how Ghosh and the present hospital administration have completely failed," Sen said last week, hours before he was removed as party spokesperson.
Ray and Sen's stance has not been uniformly accepted within the TMC, with senior leader Kunal Ghosh taking a different approach, criticising what he saw as political opportunism by rival parties. Ghosh accused certain groups of exploiting the tragedy for political gains under the guise of protesting. Reacting to Ray's post, Ghosh said such remarks by a senior party leader were unfortunate.
"I also demand justice in the RG Kar case. But I strongly oppose this demand regarding the police commissioner. After receiving information, he tried his best. Personally, the CP was doing his job, and the investigation was progressing positively. This kind of post is unfortunate, especially from my senior leader," he said.
(With PTI inputs)
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