After receiving a letter from former Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh, which urged West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Governor CV Ananda Bose to take immediate and decisive action regarding the rape-death case at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, Governor Bose announced on Sunday night that he had convened an emergency meeting with diverse representatives from Bengal’s community. The goal of this meeting was to inform them about the steps taken in response to the case and to gather their input.Governor Bose announced the swift response to Singh’s letter on social media platform X. He noted that the emergency meeting was organized to both update the community on the actions taken and to collect their feedback. Additionally, he expressed his “solidarity with the civil society across India, who have voiced their deep concern over the ghastly incident and the apparent inaction of the government.” Earlier in the day, Singh had voiced his frustration on X about the delay in justice and stressed the urgency of prompt action.

Bose emphasized that the protection and respect of women are absolute priorities and that those responsible for this horrific crime should receive severe and exemplary punishment. He added that those who committed the crime will face the law with full force and that their punishment would be exemplary. “Only then can we begin to restore faith in our system and ensure that such a tragedy never occurs again, creating a society where every woman feels safe and protected,” Singh added.

A postgraduate trainee at RG Kar Medical College in Kolkata was reportedly raped and murdered while on duty on August 9. This horrific event ignited widespread strikes and demonstrations across the medical community nationwide. By August 14, the situation escalated as a mob vandalized the protest site and the RG Kar hospital campus, leading security forces to intervene and disperse the crowd.

In response to the unrest and to restore order, Kolkata police have enacted Section 163 of the BNSS around RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. This measure will be in effect for seven days, starting from August 18.