BJP MLAs in the West Bengal Assembly on Monday offered their condolences for the 31-year-old doctor who was allegedly raped and murdered in a state-run hospital, after Speaker Biman Bandyopadhyay rejected their demand to include her in the list of obituary references.
The controversy erupted on the first day of a special two-day session dedicated to discussing and passing a Bill seeking capital punishment for rape convicts.
The BJP's request to make obituary references to the deceased medic was turned down by the Speaker, leading to a heated exchange in the Assembly.
Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari criticised the Speaker's decision, arguing that the Assembly "should have united in recognising the tragic death of the doctor".
“We only wanted to pass a unanimous resolution expressing grief over the death of the sister-doctor of R G Kar Hospital. We would have sent the resolution to her parents. This state machinery has become insensitive to the people whom they had requested to vote,” Adhikari told mediapersons.
In response, TMC MLAs accused Adhikari of politicising the grave incident rather than supporting the state’s initiative to legislate capital punishment for rapists.
Adhikari had indicated he would address the BJP's stance on capital punishment during the debate scheduled for the following day.
Speaker Bandyopadhyay questioned the appropriateness of making a condolence reference without naming the victim.
“Can you name the victim? How can you pass a condolence without naming the deceased?” he asked.
The Speaker pointed out that identifying a rape victim is prohibited by a Supreme Court order.
Following the Speaker's rejection, BJP MLAs, numbering 52, gathered in the lobby of the Assembly, silently holding candles and posters that read: "We pray for the departed soul of the doctor sister. Rest in peace."
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sobhandeb Chatterjee defended the Speaker's stance, stating that it is not feasible to pay condolences to an unnamed individual, hence the BJP's proposal could not be accepted.
“As it is not possible to pay condolences to any unnamed individual, the BJP's proposal could not be accepted,” Chatterjee said.
The Speaker later told mediapersons he had no further comments beyond what was stated during the session.
The Assembly session continued with a moment of silence for former Chief Minister Buddhadev Bhattacharjee, after which the House was adjourned until 11:30 am on Tuesday.
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