MEDIA SENSATIONALISM CANNOT DETERMINE THE NARRATIVE OF A CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION

MAMATA BANERJEE HAS never shied away from a political challenge. But the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata seems to have put her government in West Bengal on the back foot.

- MAIJO ABRAHAM AND NILADRY SARKAR

After a thumping victory in the assembly elections in 2021, her Trinamool Congress Party had performed well in the Lok Sabha elections this year and increased its seat share despite facing allegations of scams, sexual assault and land-grabbing against its leaders.

The Trinamool has always received strong support of women voters thanks to Mamata’s aura and her welfare schemes. But now women also seem upset about her government’s failure to protect a young doctor at a hospital. A barrage of misinformation spread through social media did not help, either. But the Trinamool has now started countering the rumours and setting things right. At the forefront of that mission is Rajya Sabha member Sagarika Ghose. “What happened was social media took off in a certain direction, guided by the BJP IT cell and by certain vested interests, which kept on putting out various fake theories,” she says. “We cannot expect media sensationalism to determine the narrative of a law and order investigation or a criminal investigation.” Excerpts from an interview:

Q/ Did the Mamata Banerjee government and the Trinamool Congress fail to understand the gravity of the situation initially?