West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced on Saturday that the state government will not oppose the Kamduni rape-murder victim’s family in the Supreme Court and will provide them with legal aid. This decision marks a shift from the previous TMC dispensation, which Adhikari alleged had been opposing the family’s pursuit of justice in the top court.
The 2013 Kamduni gangrape and murder case had triggered widespread outrage in the state, with concerns over women’s safety. A college student was dragged into a farm, gang-raped, and murdered, with her mutilated body found the next morning. Three years later, a sessions court sentenced three accused to death and three others to life imprisonment, but the Calcutta High Court later commuted the death sentences of two to life terms and acquitted a third death-row convict.
The victim’s family had approached the Supreme Court, alleging that justice had not been served and that the state had failed to place crucial facts before the courts. The family also claimed that the police did not investigate the crime properly. Adhikari assured that the state government will support the victim’s family by providing them with government lawyers and will not oppose them in the Supreme Court.
Reiterating the BJP government’s zero-tolerance policy towards crimes against women, Adhikari took a swipe at his predecessor Mamata Banerjee over her remarks following the alleged rape and murder of women in the state during her rule. He assured that the West Bengal government will leave no loopholes and will not describe such incidents as stray incidents or love affairs, nor offer compensation as a substitute for justice.
In the aftermath of the Kamduni incident, Mamata Banerjee had visited the place and faced protests from locals. She had alleged that Maoists were among the protesters, a remark that drew sharp criticism.
