A heated exchange between the ruling Trinamool Congress and BJP legislators erupted on Monday, the first day of the two-day special Assembly session, over the inclusion of the RG Kar victim’s mention in the obituary reference alongside former chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.
Speaker Biman Banerjee rejected the proposal, citing legal issues.
The issue surfaced when Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari pushed for including the mention of the rape and murdered RG Kar doctor in the obituary reference but Purbasthali TMC MLA Tapan Chattopadhyay told him to sit down, which led to a verbal clash between the ruling and the Opposition legislators.
However, a reference to the RG Kar victim was not included. Thereafter, the BJP legislators started protesting inside the House.
Speaker Biman Banerjee read out the obituary motion and adjourned the House.
“This is very unfortunate. We are also hurt but there are some protocols in the Assembly and we cannot take the name of the victim, and so she cannot be included in the obituary reference,” Speaker Banerjee said.
Even after the adjournment, BJP legislators stayed in their seats, and Adhikari read out the obituary reference for the RG Kar victim in the nearly empty House, addressing the legislative party and protesting the rape and murder of the doctor at RG Kar.
The BJP legislators observed a minute of silence in the session room to commemorate the RG Kar incident and then held a silent procession on the Assembly premises.
However, officials in the state legislative Assembly said the activities of the BJP legislators after the adjournment of the House would not go on record.
“There will be no mention of the speech of LoP in today’ s (Monday’s) business as it has happened after the adjournment of the House,” an official said.
“I had requested to mention the name of the deceased doctor of RG Kar who was raped and murdered at RG Kar on August 9. I know that Supreme Court’s directives prevent the disclosure of the victim’s name. I requested the condolence motion without mentioning her name but he (the Speaker) did not keep my request,” Adhikari said.
“We respect (the late) Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and so we didn’t protest but after his obituary was over, we honoured our deceased sister (RG Kar victim) in our own way,” Adhikari said later.
He alleged that as the Mamata Banerjee government was responsible for the rape and murder of the doctor, they did not want to mention it in the Assembly.
Asked about the incident, state parliamentary affairs minister Sovondeb Chattopadhyay said: “I haven’t heard this kind of an unrealistic proposal from any Opposition leaders. There are some legal obligations in these kinds of cases. The name of a rape victim cannot be mentioned. Without the pronouncement of the name, there can be no obituary reference.”
The Trinamool veteran added: “I can say from experience that there was never any obituary reference of a rape victim anywhere.”
Bhattacharjee passed away on August 8. The junior doctor was raped and killed on August 9.
The Aam Aadmi Party demonstrated in front of the CGO (Central Government Offices) complex, demanding the arrest and punishment of all the accused in RG Kar rape-and-murder case.
