West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's appeal to the public to shift their focus from protests to Durga Puja festivities drew a sharp reaction from the mother of the Kolkata trainee doctor who was brutally raped and murdered.
The mother, still grieving the loss of her daughter, called out Banerjee for her "insensitive" remarks.
"We used to celebrate Durga Puja with our daughter, but we will never celebrate Durga Puja or any other festival for years to come. Her remarks are insensitive," she said. "Let her return our daughter. Would she have said the same had this happened in her family?"
She also accused the Trinamool Congress chief of attempting to suppress the protests demanding justice for her daughter.
“The lamp at my home has gone out forever,” she added. “They throttled my daughter to death. They are now trying to throttle the demand for justice.”
Banerjee's plea to "return to festivities" came amid ongoing protests across West Bengal and beyond, which have been ongoing for a month. The protests, led by junior doctors and supported by the public, have been demanding swift justice for the 31-year-old doctor who was found semi-naked and brutally murdered at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9.
Banerjee claimed that the protests were causing disruptions and called for calm and a return to normal life.
“I request you to return to festivities and let the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) complete the investigation at the earliest,” she said during a meeting at the state secretariat on Monday.
Banerjee also denied allegations that she had offered money to the victim's family, calling such claims "slanderous lies" and part of a broader conspiracy.
"I never said anything about offering money. This is a conspiracy by the Centre and some Left parties. I challenge anyone to show proof of such claims. It's an attempt to malign our government," she said.
The Chief Minister also revealed that Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal had offered to resign multiple times over the rape-murder case but was persuaded to stay on due to the upcoming Durga Puja festival.
Bengal BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari hit out at Mamata Banerjee over her "return to festivities" call. "Do you consider the public your puppets?" he posted on X.
In another X post, he also accused her of lying about not offering compensation to the family of the doctor, posting side by side videos of her contradictory claims on the matter.
