Bengal LoP alleges govt moved anti-rape bill to divert attention from public anger over Kolkata brutality

Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari on Tuesday alleged the state government moved the anti-rape bill to divert attention from public anger and protests over the rape-murder of a doctor at  RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.

Speaking during the discussion on the bill, the BJP leader said, "We will give full support to the new bill and will not seek voting on it." He alleged the TMC government had failed to prevent incidents of rape and sexual abuse of women during its tenure.

Adhikari demanded immediate enactment of the bill by the state government after its passage.

The LoP cited media reports of sexual abuses and rapes in different parts of the state in the past couple of years and alleged in none of the cases, the CBI had taken over investigations and the state investigating agencies had ‘failed’ to arrest and ensure stringent punishment for the culprits.

"We also want immediate enactment of the bill after it is passed. I demand the amendments suggested by me including taking action against the police station concerned for any failure to act on the complaint, my recommendations for taking action against the health official concerned if his failure is established in investigation should also be incorporated in the bill," he said.

Speaker Biman Bandyopadhyay said Adhikari's reference to past incidents from media reports and the BJP's other demand pertaining to the CM would be expunged from the House records.

"The chief minister failed to ensure the safety of a doctor at a state-run hospital last month as her government failed to bring to justice the culprits in past incidents," he said.

As Adhikari read out certain amendments demanding the strictest punishment for the police station concerned if it failed to lodge any FIR of the victims or kins, the strictest punishment for health officials concerned for failure to conduct statutory medical tests or post-mortem and for destroying evidence, these were not put to voting as the state Law Minister Moloy Ghatak cited legal technicalities.

The chief minister said the state would ask legal experts to examine the recommendations.