A SIMPLE rape case in Kolkata has blown up into political confrontation between Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her opponents. A 37-year-old woman was picked up outside a night club and gangraped at gun-point in a moving car. The woman went to the police and complained. The police mocked her and one of them offered to take her for a drink. The news about the rape appeared in newspapers and the chief minister, evidently believing the police version of the story, said the victim had fabricated the story. Later, after a couple of days, she said there was a conspiracy to malign her government. She, however, changed her view about the rape and asked the police to take action.
In the meanwhile, Trinamool Congress leaders said that the victim of the rape was a loose woman and hence the veracity of the rape story was questionable. Banerjee’s reactions to the ghastly incident has not redounded to her credit. The woman must be going through agony and instead of believing her, the chief minister was saying she was trying to malign the government.
In the first place, in just a rape case, politics should not have had any entry at all. Banerjee has been making conspiracy charges against the Congress – her own ally. She has to tread carefully if she wants the Trinamool to return to power.
The Left is slowly collecting minus points against her and waiting to pounce on her government when a suitable opportunity arrives.