Kasba ‘rape’: TMC showcauses Madan Mitra; condemns Kalyan’s remarks

Kolkata: After distancing itself from the opinions of two of its party leaders over the alleged gangrape at South Calcutta Law College at Kasba, Trinamool Congress (TMC) has now show-caused its Kamarhati MLA, Madan Mitra while also condemning the remarks by its Serampore MP, Kalyan Banerjee.

On Sunday, party’s state president Subrata Bakshi sent a show-cause notice to Mitra. He has been asked to respond within three days. The letter states that his comments on the Kasba incident have damaged the party’s public image.

Madan Mitra drew sharp condemnation after stating that the incident “would not have happened” had the woman not gone to the college premises alone. He later issued a clarification, saying his remarks were misinterpreted. Besides Mitra, Kalyan Banerjee had courted criticism for reportedly saying: “What can be done if a friend rapes his friend? Will there be police in schools?”

TMC said that the leaders’ remarks were “made in their personal capacities” and “do not reflect the views of the party.” The statement also reiterated the party’s “zero tolerance for crimes against women” and demanded the “strictest possible punishment” for the accused.

Shortly after, Banerjee launched a scathing attack on his own party through a strongly worded post on X. He wrote: “I completely disagree with the post made by @AITCofficial on X. Are they indirectly supporting the leaders who are shielding these criminals? Mere academic statements won’t bring any real change unless immediate action is taken against those leaders directly responsible. What’s even more unfortunate is that some of the leaders who emerged after 2011 are themselves under question in such crimes. I also wish to clearly distance myself from those who are encouraging or protecting these criminals. To truly understand the intent behind my words and statements, a certain level of moral and intellectual alignment is required — which, unfortunately, seems to be missing.”

Meanwhile, TMC MP Mahua Moitra weighed in to condemn the tone of her colleagues. In her own X post, she wrote: “Misogyny in India cuts across party lines. What differentiates @AITCofficial is that we condemn these disgusting comments no matter who makes them.”