Mahua Moitra Denies Cover-Up By Bengal Govt In Doctor Rape-Murder Case, Slams BJP Over ‘Gungi-Gudiya’ Remark

Trinamool Congress (TMC) Lok Sabha MP Mahua Moitra has denied the allegations of any cover-up in the ongoing investigation of the rape and murder of a trainee doctor in Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9.

While posting a video message on X, the TMC MP bashed out the BJP, who dubbed chief minister Mamata Banerjee and elected female representatives as “Gungi gudiya” (mute dolls) over the horrific incident. While defending the state government’s actions, she emphasised that there is no systematic cover-up in the case.

“The story that is going around that the state government and, most of all, the chief minister (Mamata Banerjee) and all of us who are elected representatives are indulging in some kind of systematic cover-up is absolutely wrong and incorrect,” she said.

Acknowledging the fear and insecurity triggered by the horrendous crime, the TMC MP pointed out that “there is room for propaganda in the fog of emotion”.

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“There is no cover-up. Mamata Banerjee is the only lady chief minister in India and has always stood for women’s causes. To somehow put a political leaning to this and say that all of us are gungi gudiya (mute dolls) is some kind of political narrative that we had to face before and that we are going to fight back again,” she added.

In a four-minute-long message, Moitra expressed deep anguish over the incident and said that her heart bleeds for the victim.

“The horrific rape and murder of a young doctor on the premises of RG Kar Hospital on the morning of August 9 has shocked us all. It is absolutely insane that a young girl goes to her workplace and after her 36-hour shift, goes to rest in a room and is brutally raped and murdered. My heart bleeds for the victim and we totally understand the outpouring of the genuine grief, outpouring of genuine insecurity, outpouring of solidarity that is on the streets,” she said.

She further said Banerjee was in Jhargram-Medinipur when the incident took place and that the chief minister spoke to the victim’s family as soon as she was informed about it.

“Upon her return to Kolkata, she went and visited them within 12 hours. The police arrested the prime suspect on the basis of CCTV evidence,” Moitra said.

Her remarks came after West Bengal BJP president Sukanta Majumdar had criticised the TMC, saying that none of their woman MP have spoken about the rape and murder of the doctor in Kolkata.

“In the doctor’s team, many such topics have come up in their WhatsApp group, some screenshots of this have also reached us like drugs, racket, sex racket…One TMC MP’s nephew’s name keeps coming up repeatedly. I don’t know what the truth is, but something seems off because despite so many women MPs from TMC, not a single one has spoken much after such a major incident,” he had said.

The horrific incident has shaken the country with nationwide protests going on demanding the prompt action in the investigation.

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Majumdar is set to participate in a sit-in protest near the Shambazar Metro station, Gate No 1, from 11:30 am on Friday. Indian Medical Association (IMA) on Thursday declared nationwide withdrawal of non-essential services by doctors from 6 am on Saturday, August 17 to 6 am on Sunday, August 18, for 24 hours.

The case pertains to rape and murder of a trainee doctor in Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9. Amid the ongoing protests, some miscreants entered the premises of state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital during early hours of Thursday and vandalised portions of the medical facility, where the body of the victim was found.

The Kolkata Police, meanwhile, arrested 19 people and detained three for the vandalism incident. The CBI is currently probing the case.