In an open letter addressed to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the Nagorik Chetana collective said that the RG Kar rape and murder case had sent shockwaves through the state, highlighting the urgent need for “systematic changes in the way safety of women is addressed in West Bengal.”

Even as Kolkata has been recognised by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) as the country’s safest city for women, with 86.5 cases per lakh population the state of West Bengal has ranked alarmingly high in crimes such as domestic violence and acid attacks. This stark contrast reflects the gap between the perception and the lived reality of many women in the state, the letter said,

RimJhim Sinha, founder of Nagorik Chetona, said, “Five months has passed since the RG Kar incident. Some (accused in connection with the incident) have got bail. The demands made in our open letter are still relevant as the condition of women in this state is precarious. We would like to draw the attention of the CM to some points we believe are critical in ensuring that Bengal emerges as a pathfinder in safeguarding women’s rights.”

Among the demands made in the letter are that there should be mandatory audits to ensure that all institutions comply with the establishment of internal complaints committees, state-funded awareness programmes so that every woman living in Bengal is aware of her rights and the mechanism system of redressal, introduction of compulsory legal awareness and gender sensitisation as part of the school curriculum throughout Bengal, well-lit and secure bus shelters in both urban and rural areas along with CCTV surveillance for increased road safety and accountability, introduction of women only buses on major routes, with installed panic buttons ensuring harassment free transportation amongst others.