RG Kar case: President's concern on Kolkata is welcome, says Pawan Khera

Senior Congress leader Pawan Khera on Thursday, 29 August, welcomed president Droupadi Murmu's statement, voicing her concerns over the recent rape and murder case at R.G. Kar Hospital in Kolkata.

However, he also emphasised the importance of addressing women's safety issues not just in one state but across the country, including the instances in UP's Farrukhabad and Maharashtra's Badlapur.

"We welcome the president's concern on this matter. However, we would also like to highlight that women's safety is a critical issue not only in Bengal but in many other places across the country, including Farrukhabad, Maharashtra, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Assam," Khera stated.

Referring to a recent incident, he said, "Recently, the bodies of two girls were found hanging from a tree in Farrukhabad and were hurriedly cremated. The President should have raised all these cases in her letter so it doesn't seem that she is focusing on one state and not the whole country."

President Murmu, in her article titled 'Women's Safety: Enough is Enough', shared her concern following the gruesome rape and murder of a trainee doctor at the state-run R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital.

The president said that she was in a predicament over her reply when some schoolchildren who had come to the Rashtrapati Bhavan on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan "asked me innocently if they could be assured that there would be no recurrence of the Nirbhaya-type incident in future."

The senior Congress leader also commented on West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee's remarks, where she accused the BJP of inciting violence in West Bengal.

He emphasised, "Women's security is not just about one state; it is a concern for the entire country."

The West Bengal chief minister had invoked the situation in Assam and other northeastern states during her criticism of the Central government amidst the protests in her state, warning that if Bengal burns, other states like Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, and Delhi could also face turmoil.

Reacting to this, Khera remarked, "Everyone is concerned about why we are not able to protect our women. Every state is getting affected. Every state is protesting."