Don't view Baruipur rape through political prism: Congress's Pawan Khera

Congress leader Pawan Khera urged against viewing the Baruipur rape-murder through a 'political prism.' His remarks come amid a political standoff after TMC alleged that Mamata Banerjee was placed under 'house arrest' to prevent her visit.

Asserting that all crimes of sexual violence are "equally horrifying," Congress leader Pawan Khera on Monday stated that the rape and murder of a minor girl in West Bengal's Baruipur should not be viewed through a "political prism." Khera's remarks come amidst a major political standoff in West Bengal's Baruipur, following the rape and murder of a 12-year-old girl. While the Trinamool Congress (TMC) chairperson, Mamata Banerjee, intended to visit the victim's family, the party alleged that she was effectively placed under "house arrest" due to a massive police deployment that prevented her movement toward the site.

Speaking to ANI on the political discourse surrounding such tragedies, Khera criticised the tendency to prioritise crimes based on which party is in power. "A rape which happens under the watch of the opposition becomes a huge issue. And rightly so, all rapes should become a huge issue until the society and the governments wake up. But if a rape happens under the watch of the BJP government, you put the opposition in house arrest. All rapes are equally horrifying, and they cannot be looked at through the prism of which political party do you belong to," Khera said.

Investigation Progress

Meanwhile, the Baruipur Police District confirmed that significant progress has been made in the investigation as two individuals have been arrested in connection with the minor girl's death. Earlier, Jadavpur MP Saayoni Ghosh, in an X post, said that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted to probe the case, and she held a conversation with Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari.

TMC Alleges 'House Arrest' of Mamata Banerjee

The remarks come after security was tightened outside the residence of Banerjee on Sunday night as central forces took positions ahead of her scheduled visit to Baruipur, following the alleged rape and murder of a 12-year-old girl.

Against this backdrop, TMC MP Dola Sen asked if the deployment was an attempt to house arrest the former CM. Dola Sen told reporters, "What is going on in Bengal and Kolkata? Everyone knows what happened in Baruipur. Didi (Mamata Banerjee) is a mass leader. She wanted to go there after such a heinous incident had happened. But have they house arrested her? By doing this, will they be able to stop Didi? I had to come here because of this. So many police administration deployed here without any reason. This is not right, whatever the police administration is doing. This is a super emergency."

TMC leader Madan Mitra said, "Didi is meeting party workers at her residence. What can the police really do? Someone has to raise slogans. You can't just keep committing one-sided atrocities while the public quietly accepts it; that's not how it works. Just as there are calls for justice regarding the RG Kar incident, there should be justice here in Baruipur too."

TMC Slams BJP Government

Meanwhile, TMC General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee slammed the BJP government in the state after the tragic incident in Baruipur. He raised questions over the BJP, stating that the government was unable to fulfil its promise of women's safety in the state. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)