Kolkata, West Bengal: In the district of Nadia, West Bengal, a 9-year-old girl was kidnapped and murdered on her way back home, causing outrage and massive protests throughout the area. The young girl was a Class 4 school student and went missing on September 30, 2023. Later, this young child’s body was found on a riverbank, shocking people in the area and compelling protests against the state government for their alleged inaction and lapse in law enforcement.
Inflaming the unrest further, many protestors are drawing parallels between their protests and the yet-unresolved murder of an RG Kar Medical College medical student, nearly months old. The horrific crime has led to protests with people expressing their outrage against the government for not being proactive in the case. Protesters accuse the TMC-led government in West Bengal of failing to ensure women’s and children’s safety; major highways were blocked in protest, with many gathered in front of police stations demanding justice for the victim and measures to prevent the crime in the future.
In this light, BJP leaders seized the opportunity to charge the ruling TMC government with causing deteriorating law and order in the state. Senior officials of the BJP described the incident as a new low in the state administration’s failure to protect women and children from violent crimes.
Political Repercussions
The incident has, moreover, developed a political dimension with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and rival Trinamool Congress fighting for blame. The BJP leaders in the state have called upon Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to act promptly against unruly crowds. They have highlighted yet other such recently addressed cases of sexual violence in the state, accusing the government of not doing its duty in delivering justice to the victim community.
Contrarily, TMC leaders defended the state administration by stating that the police have started the process of investigating the probe, and some suspects have been arrested and are under investigatory questioning. Officials affirmed that the families of the victims would be assured of fast justice.
The police in West Bengal had also sent more forces to prolong the protests. The authorities in response to this increasing public pressure will expedite the investigation, alluding that the culprits will be apprehended at the earliest. However, despite all the moving and much at their command to see that the act of injustice is rightly punished, the public remains not satisfied, as huge crowds continue gathering, demanding more accountability for the case.
Various steps have also been taken by the local administration to instill peace in the stricken areas. Counseling services have been made available for the bereavement families, while the schools in nearby areas have declared a day of mourning for the deceased child.
This tragic episode has renewed the war of words in West Bengal on women’s and children’s safety as several organizations of civil society have stepped in to ask for reforms in the police and legal systems accordingly. Moreover, the activists have also gone a step further to press for the state government to stringent policies focused on prevention, swift action, and stern measures for sexual offenses.
Amongst all this public outcry escalating, the politicized microcosm keeps feeding off this incident to propel their ends. Nevertheless, the question in this entire quagmire lies in the protection of the most vulnerable members of society. It remains to be seen whether this will force a decisive shift in safety for children and women in West Bengal until truly effective reforms render such imperative strategies upon their counterparts.
