Calling upon the West Bengal government to act swiftly to address the grievances of the riot-hit people in the Murshidabad district, National Commission for Women (NCW) chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar on Sunday said the panel is preparing a report which will be submitted soon to the Centre and top state officials.
They have also appealed to the West Bengal Women’s Commission to visit the areas and support the victims.
The NCW team over the past two days had visited the Malda relief camp as well as the violence-affected areas in Murshidabad and on reaching Kolkata on Sunday, Rahatkar while speaking to mediapersons expressed deep shock over the ground situation, particularly the condition of women and children in the affected regions.
“We came here to stand beside the women who are suffering. During this time, we spoke to many women and children. The pain they are enduring due to the recent incidents is unbearable,” she said.
Rahatkar described the scene as heart-breaking, recounting that the women she met were distraught, repeatedly asking, “What did we do to deserve this? Why are we being treated like this?”
“In such communal violence, it is always women and children who suffer the most. Several hundred houses were vandalized and looted. Not only that, people were also threatened. These events have had serious impacts on the physical and emotional well-being of the victims. Homes were set on fire, and families were driven out. A woman who gave birth just four days ago had to flee to save her life,” she said.
The NCW chief said the Commission is preparing a report incorporating the views of all those women – who narrated their ordeal and who credited forces like BSF for saving their lives and honour.
“Our immediate priority is to support these women and children. We will prepare a report outlining what can be done in this situation. According to the victims, the BSF (Border Security Force) has stood by them, and they are asking for continued support from the BSF. We will submit our findings to the Chief Secretary of West Bengal, the Director General of Police, and the Central Government. We did not come here to talk politics,” Rahatkar said.
While she emphasised that the panel did not visit the riot-hit areas to do politics, Rahatkar questioned, “Why have no arrangements been made for the displaced victims? I did not come here to speak about politics. I came to stand by the women.”
“This issue is above politics and must be treated with the urgency and seriousness it deserves. I have not come here for politics, but for every woman who has faced violence — for those who were threatened, molested, and dragged out of their homes. To extend strength and solidarity to them,” she said.
According to the team, the focus should be on why this tragedy happened in the first place.
“The Chief Minister has said that the BJP and RSS are responsible for this. I have not seen anything of that sort. What I will say is this: No politics should be done over such incidents,” Rahatkar said, adding, “These people are our citizens, and the state must stand by them. They need support and strength to recover from this trauma. The government has to compensate for the damage done, ensure their safety, and provide them justice.”