Before It’s Too Late

 

 

 

 

A TIGHT corner is a sure inventor of whataboutery. It is the final indicator of reversal in fortunes which usually ends up in braggartism and is invariably followed by hubris. Whatever is happening in West Bengal in wake of the barbaric killing of a young, innocent medical practitioner at the RG Kar Hospital reflects the last stage of arrogance that the ruling dispensation is brazenly employing to muzzle a just fight. After attempts of dirty cover-up, threats are being doled out from the office of the Chief Minister to the neighbouring States about unrest and violence if valid and legal questions are asked to Bengal administration. The State, under CM Mamata Banerjee, has failed and how! And yet, there is inexplicable hesitation from the Centre to intervene in the affairs for the sake of human lives which are constantly under threat in West Bengal.

 

The CM’s speech warning of violence and anarchy in other parts of India if Bengal burns over the heinous crime definitely demands strong and absolute action. Ever since the young doctor ‘Abhaya’ has been brutally killed at the hospital followed by subsequent incidents of vandalism, protests and violence, the Trinamool Congress government’s conduct has remained suspicious with an apparent intention of a cover-up. Even the Calcutta High Court has come down heavily on the massive lapses by the State machinery in the investigation forcing a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Such things happen when the powers-that-be are complicit with the perpetrators of bigger crimes and rackets. The series of incidents leading to the lady doctor’s killing and ensuing events are proof enough that there is more to the story than meets the eye.

 

The burning question is, when will the higher authorities, including the Centre, step in to stem this dirty rot? The RG Kar Hospital case should be the proverbial last straw for Mamata Banerjee. She has miserably failed to save the life of an innocent girl and the later whataboutery has more or less confirmed that the rot has run deeper in many other spheres in West Bengal. The culture of violence and oppression prevailing in the State needs to be dealt with an iron hand and it can happen only if the Centre follows the evidence in hand seriously and acts accordingly. The grouse of the common ‘Bhadralok’ is why is the Government taking so long to put an end to this misery? The rape and murder of the junior doctor is still drawing response around the country. It is primarily because of the insensitivity shown by the TMC government which has failed in dealing with the issue of women’s safety.

 

The case has instigated a serious anger opening a door into the past failures of Mamata Banerjee in maintaining law and order in West Bengal. When the TMC pushed out the Left in 2011, the State had hoped for a peaceful tomorrow. Instead, what the people are witnessing is a repeat of the Left’s playbook by TMC-backed goons with even greater ferocity. There is simply no check on violence. Ground report from political and social activists establishes that the TMC has been able to overpower all institutions with a culture of insensitivity pervading through swathes of land, especially the rural areas and border regions. There is a growing disappointment and grievance against the TMC and the Chief Minister for her tacit support to the motivated violence unleashed by local strongmen. Illegal residents, mostly from Bangladesh, have contributed to the reign of terror in these regions. First-hand accounts of Hindu organisations engaged in religious activities are appalling and disturbing. That there is no heed to their complaints with the law-enforcing agencies is more frightening. Problems have clearly been allowed a free run when the ruling party could have easily nipped them in the bud. Regular incidence of these problems underlines the gravity of the issue which calls for a compelling action from the Centre. Looking at the situation in West Bengal through a political prism will not bring any results.

 

The stronghold maintained by parties in various pockets cannot be easily broken through political measures. The problems in the eastern State must now be viewed from humanitarian angles. The prevailing situation calls for a decisive action with thorough analysis of the history of violence plaguing the State for years together. Bengal has a long and ignominious history of political violence. The partition of 1905, the massacres that followed, the Great Calcutta Killings of 1946, political murders in Birbhum district, sexual exploitation of tribal women in Sandeshkhali and the latest rape and murder of a young girl in the State capital, West Bengal has provided some chilling accounts to India’s history. At present, there is all-pervasive domination of a single party in West Bengal with no check on violence. The culture of bloodshed and brutality is continuing with far greater intensity. Politics of retribution is at its peak. History cannot be allowed to repeat itself again and again while waiting for a political coup. The Centre must act, before it is too late.