A City Violated

Public outburst of anger over the rape and murder of a junior doctor in Kolkata has left the Mamata Banerjee government puzzled, worried

- Snigdhendu Bhattacharya and Avantika Mehta

PEOPLE have named her Tilottama, the other beloved name for Kolkata, the city that took her life on August 9. Tilottama was raped and killed at her workplace—a government hospital. Bengalis speak of Kallolini Tilottama (the delightful paragon of beauty) in adulation. Tilottama is Kolkata. On August 9, Kolkata stood violated.

The weight of the rape and murder of a city, naturally, sent shockwaves much beyond the state’s borders, triggering a national and even global outcry seeking justice for Tilottama and safety for women at the workplace and on the streets.

At home in West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress (TMC) has rarely looked so puzzled since coming to power in 2011. Banerjee herself has not appeared so tense. In every challenge her party and the government faced since 2019, she emerged triumphant through her counter-attacks, playing ‘the Virender Sehwag way’, borrowing from cricketing parlance. Aggression comes to her naturally and adds to her brand value.

However, the present crisis that her government and party face has little scope for an aggressive approach. The pressure comes more from civil society than her political opponents. Earlier, she never had to confront civil society.

“It’s strange. Electorally, there has not been any sign of any great danger lurking for our party. But the kind of public response we are seeing can only come from a lot of pent-up grievances,” says a minister in Banerjee’s government, requesting anonymity.