The Mamata Banerjee government has introduced the Aparajita Woman and Child Bill (West Bengal Criminal Laws and Amendment) Bill 2024, popularly trending as the anti rape law. ’Bengal shows the way’ is the hashtag running across all social media platforms, it has been projected as something unprecedented, shows Mamata as the biggest well wisher of women, as a person who is extra sensitive to crime against women. But why do you think Chief Minister of Bengal was forced to do this? With each passing day Mamata’s government was descending into an administrative crisis, her police as the most ineffective and inept at handling this case, a growing perception that her government was more into, shielding the culprits rather than delivering justice to the 31 year old trainee doctor who was raped and murdered at Kolkata’s RG Kar Hospital. This case reverberated the sounds and shrieks of Nirbhaya’s case in which Sheila Dikshit government got unseated and Mamata fears this to the core. But is anti rape law the answer to this cultural and politcal crisis? Certainly not. Mamata is trying to manage her faltering perception through this law, which looks like a cheap unwanted political gimmick. Bengal Tigress very deftly is trying to divert the attention, trying to silence the people’s anger which has spilt over not only on the streets of Kolkata but across the nation as well. One has to understand the real underlying intentions of Mamata Banerjee, she is trying to be a hard task master but simultaneously is playing the role of the innocent priest. She is also trying to project this bill as a smoke screen without realising that she will have to face the people’s court day in and day out where she will be asked everyday " when will the RG Kar Hospital victim get justice.
Rape is a cultural problem but Mamata is aiming to tide over this crisis politcally and this is where she could end up shooting herself and her party in the foot. Even though the Opposition has fully supported the anti-rape law, questions will continue to haunt Mamata Banerjee. Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan Tuesday termed the passage of the anti-rape law in West Bengal assembly a "diversionary tactic" and asked if the main accused in the Sandeshkhali sexual abuse case will get the death penalty under the law. This leaves us with very significant questions to be asked. Has Didi (Banerjee) enacted the law under pressure? Why did she not bring it earlier? Why didn’t she show empathy earlier? Even though Mamata said in the assembly that "Rape is a curse against humanity and social reforms are required to prevent such crimes," but this didnt stop Didi from politcal grandstanding as well where she demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and the chief ministers of all states that have "not been able to implement effective legislations to safeguard women". Hailing the Bill as "historic and model for other states", Banerjee said that through this proposed legislation, her government has tried to plug the loopholes that exist in the central legislations in terms of speedy and effective disposal of justice to victims and their kin. When the BJP MLAs raised slogans demanding her resignation, she retorted, "What if I raise slogans against the prime minister and the home minister for the same reasons you are raising slogans against me."
States like Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat have abnormally high crime rates against women whereas in West Bengal, tortured women are getting justice in courts, she claimed.
Banerjee alleged that West Bengal was not consulted before passing BNS. "We wanted discussions on it after the formation of the new government at the Centre," she said. Banerjee told the Opposition to ask the governor to sign the Bill without delay, while asserting that it would be the state government’s responsibility for its effective enactment.
"We want justice from the CBI and death by hanging of the guilty," Banerjee said over the rape and murder of the RG Kar medic while expressing her sorrow over the gruesome crime.
Mamata is taking away the focus from herself and putting Modi, Shah & BJP CMs equally in the dock projecting them as insensitive towards crime against women. Will this strategy really succeed? Will this Bill get the assent of the governor and the President, will there be no politics on this anti rape law? Well, that’s a difficult question to answer as of now.
Neelu Vyas is a senior television anchor and digital content creator. Twitter: @neeluopines
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