West Bengal, the land of Renaissance thinkers and revolutionary firebrands, today bleeds under a regime that has buried morality and ethics deep into the Bay of Bengal. For over 13 years now, Mamata Banerjee has lorded over the state as if it were her fiefdom. What was once a culturally vibrant and politically conscious state has been reduced to a grim theatre of rape, murder, political vendetta, and unbridled appeasement.
The recent rape and murder of a junior doctor at RG Kar Medical College in August 2024, followed closely by the gruesome rape and killing of a law student, are not isolated horrors. They are symptoms of a deeper, festering disease: state complicity, administrative apathy, and a Chief Minister clinging to power with absolute shamelessness.
Worse, the Trinamool Congress’s official response to such horrors is an exercise in callous victim-blaming. “Who on earth can stop, if a boy rapes his own girlfriend?” a senior TMC leader remarked. If this isn’t the height of brazenness, what is? That too in a state governed by a woman Chief Minister, one who rose to power on the rhetoric of “Ma, Mati, Manush.”
Let’s not beat around the bush. The rot runs deep. In nearly every one of these horrific incidents, there are alleged links to ruling party members — be it in Sandeshkhali where Dalit women were brutalised by TMC goons and illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators allegedly sheltered by the party, or in Hanskhali where the accused was the son of a TMC strongman, or now, in the latest medical college and law student cases. And yet, Mamata Banerjee refuses to own up or act.
Let us remind ourselves of what Bengal has endured under Mamata’s watch:
- Park Street rape (2012) – Mamata’s police initially branded the victim a liar. It took mass outrage for justice to limp forward.
- Kamduni gang-rape and murder (2013) – A college student returning from an exam was gang-raped and butchered. Protests were massive. The CM dismissed them.
- Madhyamgram rape (2013) – A minor raped twice in two days, later found dead. Her family threatened. The state watched in silence.
- Jadavpur molestation (2014) – “Hok Kolorob” became a war cry against inaction. Youth cried for justice. The government turned a deaf ear.
- Ganganapur, Bamanghata, Sandeshkhali, Hanskhali, Diamond Harbour… the list is long, shameful, and damning.
And now, in 2025, a law student’s gang rape. This comes close on the heels of the RG Kar Medical College doctor’s murder, which has seen the state’s prolonged protests. Now, the alleged gang rape-killing of a law student indeed reignited that familiar rage. Last year, after the junior doctor’s rape and murder case in the hospital, has forced Doctors, students, civil society, all were on the streets. The Calcutta High Court has had to intervene in a CBI inquiry. But where is the Chief Minister? Busy hurling accusations at the Opposition, attacking the BJP, and blaming the media.
What’s even more dangerous is Mamata Banerjee’s alleged facilitation of demographic sabotage in Bengal. Central intelligence reports have repeatedly pointed to large-scale illegal infiltration from Bangladesh and even among the Rohingya community. These illegal migrants are being gifted ration cards, Aadhaar, and even Voter IDs — allegedly with help from the ruling dispensation.
If some unconfirmed reports are to be believed, several ministers in Mamata’s cabinet themselves have questionable citizenship credentials. This isn’t just corruption; it is treason. It’s a direct assault on India’s sovereignty and demographic integrity.
And yet — the Centre remains mute.
What explains the Centre’s inaction? Despite multiple recommendations from Governor C.V. Ananda Bose, despite Central agencies flagging serious security, law and order, and demographic concerns, no concrete steps have been taken. No Article 356. No President’s Rule. No decisive crackdown.
Why?
Is Prime Minister Narendra Modi aiming for the Nobel Peace Prize by allowing Mamata’s misrule to fester, rather than acting in defence of the Constitution and suffering Hindus? Is Amit Shah waiting for Hindu outrage to translate into votes, rather than taking pre-emptive action to protect lives, dignity, and law and order?
Political observers, and indeed even Modi loyalists, are beginning to ask: Has the BJP coldly calculated that it is better to let Bengal burn so the electorate turns to them in despair?
If so, I have no hesitation in saying this is political opportunism of the most grotesque kind.
This isn’t just about Bengal. This is about the idea of India — where a state government allows goons to run wild, where the safety of women is a joke, where illegal immigrants are a vote bank, and where Hindus — the majority — are now migrants in their own homeland.
It is no longer a fringe conspiracy. Across Bengal, reports — many visible on social media — suggest that thousands of Hindus are quietly migrating out of sensitive areas. Women live in fear. Minor girls are unsafe in schools. Journalists who question the government face brutal reprisals. And those who seek justice from the Centre are met with silence.
Even the state BJP leadership appears helpless. While they occasionally raise their voice in courts and media, the support they expect from Delhi rarely arrives in full measure.
This cannot go on.
Mamata Banerjee has lost the moral right to govern. That much is clear. But the bigger and more urgent question is — will Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah continue to watch from Delhi’s corridors of power as Bengal descends into anarchy?
Or will they finally rise above political calculus and act decisively?
Because if they don’t, they will not just lose Bengal. They risk losing the faith of Hindus across India, who are already beginning to wonder: “If not even the BJP will protect us, then who will?”
India cannot afford a repeat of Kashmir in Bengal. It cannot afford another silent exodus. It cannot afford another generation of women broken by rape, families torn by fear, and democracy mocked by an elected autocrat.
The choice is stark.
The Centre must impose President’s Rule. Illegal migrants must be deported. A thorough audit of identity documents must be ordered. All criminal-political nexuses must be broken. And Mamata Banerjee must be held accountable — politically, legally, and morally.
Any further delay will be a betrayal not just of Bengal, but of Bharat.
