The West Bengal Commission for Protection of Child Rights (WBCPCR) has taken suo moto cognizance of a serious incident involving a rape threat directed at the minor daughter of Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP and party general secretary Abhishek Banerjee. The panel has sought the intervention of the Kolkata Police, citing a viral video of a protest rally held in Kolkata against the rape and murder of a doctor.
According to the WBCPCR, a single individual within the protest crowd was seen uttering the rape threat and subsequently offering a ₹10 crore reward for carrying out the act. The panel has called upon the Kolkata Police to take immediate action against the individual under the stringent Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, the Juvenile Justice Act, and the UN Convention on Rights of a Child.
The incident has sparked outrage and condemnation from prominent TMC leaders. Abhishek Banerjee is the nephew of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and holds a prominent position within the party. TMC MP Derek O’Brien took to X (formerly Twitter) to express his disgust, stating that the opposition had crossed the line by threatening a child.
TMC leader Saket Gokhale, hinting at the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Bengal, accused a mob of BJP cadres of offering the “award” to rape Abhishek Banerjee’s daughter, calling them “monsters” who must be eradicated for a safer society.
Meanwhile, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is continuing its investigation into the rape and murder of the trainee doctor at the state-run RG Kar medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. As part of their probe, the CBI conducted a second polygraph test on the hospital’s former principal, Sandip Ghosh, and five others. This incident, where the threat against a child is allegedly used as a political tool, highlights the deeply troubling escalation of tensions and the politicization of a tragic event.
