India: West Bengal Govt Agrees to Fire Police Chief Over Kolkata Rape Case
The Facts
After weeks of protests in India over the rape and murder of a female trainee doctor in Kolkata, the state of West Bengal's capital city, state Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has agreed to fire three city officials — the police chief, director of medical education, and director of health services.
Following the chief minister's announcement, a member of parliament and Trinamool Congress national general secretary, Abhishek Banerjee asked the protesting doctors to end their work strike.
The Spin
Narrative A
Kolkata, which was once deemed India's safest city for women, has become dangerous because of the policies of Banerjee. After campaigning on making the city safer in 2011, the ruling party went against its promise the very next year when it completely dismissed a serious sexual assault allegation. Banerjee's governing style is to throw bandaids on a deeply systemic issue rather than provide meaningful protection to women.
Narrative B
This case is a microcosm of a much larger national issue. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government, there have been countless cases of men not being prosecuted for sexual assault due to their political connections. The government's enabling misogynistic culture is major the reason that less than 30% of sexual violence end up with a conviction. Women across India deserve more from their male peers and politicians.
