BJP slams West Bengal minister for trivializing Kolkata rape

In a recent political clash in West Bengal, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leveraged statements by a state minister to criticize the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), alleging that serious incidents are being trivialized. This follows the alleged rape of a 24-year-old law student in Kolkata, a case that has sparked significant controversy.

The controversy began when a clip surfaced of Irrigation Minister Manas Bhunia speaking in Bengali, suggesting that incidents in Bengal are often exaggerated. In the clip, Bhunia remarked on how even small incidents prompt claims of the state's decline and cited domestic violence as societal issues. The BJP immediately linked Bhunia's comments to the recent rape, suggesting he was minimizing the gravity of the crime.

The alleged crime occurred on June 25 at South Calcutta Law College, involving Monojit Mishra, a former student, alongside three others who have all been arrested. The BJP highlighted past comments from TMC figures Madan Mitra and Kalyan Banerjee, suggesting a pattern of insensitivity and alleged that such attitudes threatened the safety of women in the state.

The West Bengal BJP took to social media, accusing Bhunia and the TMC of reducing a heinous act to a “small incident.” BJP leaders, including Union Minister and Bengal BJP president Sukanta Majumdar, described Bhunia's alleged remarks as a reflection of a "filthy mindset" intrinsic to TMC leadership under Mamata Banerjee.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Shame!<br><br>State Minister Manas Bhunia, echoing Mamata Banerjee’s stance, claims that rape is a “small incident” and that people create unnecessary noise every time such a case occurs!<br><br>This is the culture of TMC. Sometimes they question the character of the rape survivor, and… <a href="https://t.co/3VDBZN38mv">pic.twitter.com/3VDBZN38mv</a></p>&mdash; BJP West Bengal (@BJP4Bengal) <a href="https://twitter.com/BJP4Bengal/status/1940017545328701465?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 1, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

In contrast, Manas Bhunia firmly denied any association of his remarks with the Kasba rape incident. He accused the opposition of distorting his words to malign his image and reiterated his and his party's strong condemnation of the crime. Bhunia emphasized the prompt actions taken by the police and stated that the Chief Minister does not tolerate such acts.

As the political fallout continues, the incident reopens discussions on how crimes against women are addressed in political discourses, with both parties using the incident to forward their narratives in Bengal's volatile political landscape.