Trinamool questions BJP's silence over rape, suicide of woman doctor in Satara

Kolkata, Oct 25 The Trinamool Congress on Saturday slammed the BJP over its lack of outrage and studied silence on the suicide of a woman doctor in Maharashtra following repeated rape by police Sub-Inspector Gopal Badne and after being intimidated and threatened by an MP in the state.

State minister Shashi Panja questioned whether the BJP has become so emotionally bankrupt that their leaders choose to ignore such a serious incident in a state ruled by their own party and its allies.

Addressing a news conference in Kolkata, the senior Trinamool leader also pointed out the 'absence' of national outrage over the incident.

"We knew that the BJP has so far been politically bankrupt. But has the party now become emotionally bankrupt, too? It did not mince words on the tragic incident in Satara. Where is the voice of the media now? Why are national news channels quiet? Had this incident happened in West Bengal, all hell would have broken loose with members of the women's commission and human rights commission visiting the state," said the Trinamool leader.

The tragic incident occurred when the doctor, employed at a government hospital in Satara district in Maharashtra, allegedly hung herself in a hotel room. A note on her palm and a four-page suicide letter accused Sub-Inspector Gopal Badne of repeated rape. Police on Saturday arrested one of the two men the doctor had named in the suicide note written on her palm, from Pune, the officials said.

The woman, in a complaint submitted to the police, had alleged that she was being harassed by an MP to provide fake medical reports of people accused in police cases without even examining them. She also pointed out the police's inaction despite repeated complaints about the sexual assault by Sub-Inspector Gopal Badne.

Taking a swipe at the National Commission for Women (NCW) and other national agencies, Panja said, "Where are these agencies, and the voices that cry for justice? They don't visit BJP-ruled states where there is a double-engine government? Or are these reserved only for West Bengal? This shows the double standards of the BJP when it comes to addressing crimes against women. They are selective when it comes to addressing such issues," said Panja, who is the state's Women, Child Development and Social Welfare Minister (Independent charge).

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