Bengal Governor calls all stakeholders to stand together against atrocities on women

West Bengal Governor condemns rising sexual assaults on women, calls for united action against perpetrators and for women's rights.

With several incidents of sexual assault on women coming to the fore in the past few weeks, West Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose on Sunday (November 3, 2024) said that grave injustice was being heaped upon sisters of the State and all of society must stand together against atrocities on women.

“All stakeholders, the government, non-government organisations, political parties, the media and the silent majority should come together to establish the rights of women in West Bengal,” Governor Bose said.

On Saturday (November 2, 2024), the Governor announced that he would introduce ‘Kala-te’, a new technique of martial arts combining Kalaripayattu and Karate for promoting self-defence among women in the State.

Meanwhile, in an incident on Sunday (November 3, 2024), a Class X student was sexually assaulted at Gaigatha in North 24 Parganas. Police arrested a youth in the case.

On the day, Leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly Suvendu Adhikari visited the home of a minor who was raped and murdered at Falakata in Alipurduar district. “I met her mother and spoke to her father over phone. I got to know about the irregularities in the post-mortem procedure which might prove to be a hindrance later on when the matter would be on trial in a court,” he posted on X.

Calling the crime ‘horrific’, the Leader of the Opposition said that the Mamata Banerjee-led government must “introspect what’s wrong with the system and how to tackle the situation proactively so that the prowling sexual predators can be stopped”.

A six-year-old girl was allegedly raped and murdered at Alipurduar district, and enraged villagers lynched one of the accused on Friday. Another accused surrendered before the local police. Residents organised protests demanding exemplary punishment to the accused.