Kolkata: The Trinamool Congress (TMC), on Friday, accused the BJP of failing to protect women and instead shielding the accused.
Referring to BJP’s “Beti Bachao Beti Padhao” campaign, the party called it “one of the most cynical and manipulative frauds ever sold—a glittering distraction meant to mask the grim reality of shielding and enabling rapists, protecting predators while daughters continue to bleed and die.”
The TMC cited the recent bail granted to Kuldeep Singh Sengar, a former BJP MLA from Uttar Pradesh, in the infamous Unnao rape case. On Tuesday, the Delhi High Court granted him bail. Sengar was convicted by a Delhi CBI court in a minor’s rape case and had been serving a life sentence. The party also referred to the Hathras gang-rape case, accusing the BJP of institutional cover-ups. “Your cops cremated the victim’s body at midnight to bury evidence; your party has elevated shielding vicious criminals to an art form,” the TMC alleged.
The party further mentioned the recent case of an attempted suicide by a rape survivor in Madhya Pradesh. In Shivpuri, a woman had lodged a rape complaint against Rajat Sharma, son of BJP leader and Shivpuri Municipal Council President Gayatri Sharma. The complaint was filed at the Kotwali police station on April 14. Recently, the woman attempted suicide and left behind a six-page note, detailing seven months of alleged mental harassment and intimidation.
Slamming the BJP over crimes against women in its ruled states, the TMC stated, “In your ‘double-engine’ hellholes, rapists get VIP protection while victims face harassment, threats, and graves.” TMC General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee, reacting to Sengar’s bail, said, “When convicted rapists walk free and ministers ridicule victims, we have failed every daughter, every woman, and every family seeking justice.” He also accused the BJP of maintaining “absolute silence” following the Delhi High Court’s order, calling it the true face of Beti Bachao in BJP-ruled states.
Amid rising crimes against women in BJP-ruled states, Kolkata has been declared the safest city in India for the fourth consecutive year by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). According to the NCRB’s 2023 report, Kolkata recorded just 83.9 cognisable offences per lakh population—the lowest among 19 major Indian cities with populations exceeding 20 lakh.