The mother of Nirbhaya, the victim of the 2012 Delhi gang rape case, has demanded the resignation of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, saying she had "failed" to handle the situation after widespread protests broke out against the brutal rape and murder of a trainee doctor in Kolkata.
The 31-year-old postgraduate trainee doctor was raped and murdered during her duty hours at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on August 9. Her colleagues and doctors across the country have been holding protests to seek justice for her.
Speaking to the news agency PTI, Asha Devi also slammed Ms Banerjee for "trying to divert people's attention" by holding protests. Ms Banerjee had led a rally this week demanding the death penalty for the guilty in the case.
"Instead of using her authority to take action against the culprits, Mamata Banerjee is trying to mislead the public," Asha Devi was quoted as saying by PTI.
"She herself is a woman. She should have taken strict action against the culprits while discharging her responsibility as the head of the state. She should resign because she has failed to handle the situation," she added.
Ms Devi also said that until central and state governments get serious about seeking swift punishment from the court for rapists, such brutality will continue to take place in different parts of the country every day.
"When girls are not safe in Kolkata's medical college and such barbarity is committed against them, then one can understand the state of women's safety in the country," she told PTI.
Centre's Order To States On Kolkata Horror Protests
Amid nationwide protests over the trainee doctor's rape and murder in Kolkata, the Centre has issued a diktat to all states asking them to submit reports on law and order situations every two hours.
As per the notification, the Ministry of Home Affairs has directed all state police forces of the country to send reports every two hours via mail, fax or even WhatsApp.
"Regarding two hourly law and order situation reports. The competent authority has desired to monitor the law and order situation report of your state/UT against the murder of a trainee woman doctor in RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, West Bengal. Henceforth, a continuous two-hourly law and order situation report in this regard may kindly be sent to the MHA control room by fax/e-mail/WhatsApp from 4 pm today (16/08/24), the MHA reportedly said.
NDTV has learnt that states have started sending reports, starting August 16.
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