The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has dispatched a high-profile fact-finding team to Kolkata after a law student was allegedly gang-raped inside a south Kolkata college hostel, a case that has ignited fierce political tensions and renewed criticism of West Bengal’s ruling Trinamul Congress (TMC) government.
The four-member team, constituted by BJP national president J P Nadda, includes senior political figures: Biplab Kumar Deb, former chief minister of Tripura; ex-Union ministers Satyapal Singh and Meenakshi Lekhi, and Rajya Sabha MP Monan Kumar Mishra. They arrived in Kolkata by Monday afternoon and were received at the airport by BJP leader Agnimitra Paul. The delegation’s visit comes amid intense public outrage over the alleged assault and what the BJP has termed a “systemic failure of law and order” in the state.
The team is expected to visit the crime scene, want to meet police commissioner, and request an audience with the state’s chief secretary. “We have sought appointments with the police commissioner. However the team cancelled the plan to meet the Chief Secretary,” said Paul. “From the airport, the delegation was taken to a hotel in New Town where they briefly met with state BJP president Sukanta Majumdar before proceeding to Lalbazar police headquarters and then to the college in question.”
According to BJP sources, the team will compile a report based on its findings and submit it to the party’s central leadership. Speaking to journalists shortly after his arrival, Biplab Deb accused the Mamata Banerjee-led government of obstructing their investigation. “We have asked for time with the chief secretary but have received no response. Even visiting the college has not yet been permitted. If Mamata Banerjee can send fact-finding teams to Hathras and Pulwama, why are we being denied permission here? This is undemocratic,” Deb said.
Meenakshi Lekhi added: “We’re seeing repeated crimes against women in this state—despite having a woman as chief minister. What is the administration doing if it cannot even meet with a parliamentary delegation?” Earlier, a team from the National Commission for Women, led by Dr Archana Majumdar, had visited the same college and was allowed access without incident. However, there is speculation that police may restrict the BJP delegation from visiting the site—a move that could further escalate tensions.
BJP MP Satyapal Singh, a former senior police officer, expressed hope that the delegation would be allowed to proceed with its visit unhindered. “We’ve come here under instructions from our party president. We hope the state government will cooperate, allow us to visit the college, and engage in discussions with the authorities.”
The TMC, meanwhile, has mocked the BJP’s move, calling it a “political stunt.” Party spokesperson Arup Chakraborty said: “This is a delegation that will check into a five-star hotel, enjoy lavish meals, and then set out to ‘fact-find’. Look who they’ve sent—Biplab Deb, who himself has a clouded record in Tripura, and Satyapal Singh, who infamously said stopping rape is not the job of police or government after the Hathras incident. And Meenakshi Lekhi, who in Parliament tried to silence opposition MPs with threats of ED raids. These are not people seeking justice, they are seeking headlines.”
Meanwhile, security has been increased around the South Kolkata College, and civil society groups and women’s rights activists continue to demand transparency in the investigation.