In a hard-hitting letter to Mamata Banerjee, a group of Muslims residing in Kolkata urged the West Bengal CM not to show leniency to assailants just because they were from the minority community. Citing the assaults on junior doctors and the attack on Ushoshi Sengupta, they said they were ‘grieved and embarrassed’. They asked Banerjee to respond with ‘speed and sensitivity’.
In a hard-hitting letter to Mamata Banerjee, a group of Muslims residing in Kolkata urged the West Bengal CM not to show leniency to assailants just because they were from the minority community. Citing the assaults on junior doctors and the attack on Ushoshi Sengupta, they said they were ‘grieved and embarrassed’. They asked Banerjee to respond with ‘speed and sensitivity’.
Rajya Sabha MP Swapan Dasgupta called it 'a laudable appeal to the leading practitioner of vote bank politics in the country'.
Read their letter below:
Full text of their letter:
LETTER TO THE CHIEF MINISTER
Dear Madam Chief Minister,
We are Muslims living in Kolkata for decades.
We have been deeply concerned with two events that occurred recently – the attack on doctors and the attack on actor Ushoshie Sengupta.
The attackers in both cases instances were members of our community – Muslims.
We are grieved and embarrassed.
There are two ways to address this problem.
One, bring the assailants to book, not just in these two instances but every single instance where Muslims are involved. They should not be allowed to get away scot-free because they happened to be Muslims (as is the growing perception). This will send out a message that members of one community are not being shielded or appeased (as most people believe).
Two, it would be good to engage in or encourage engagements with Muslim youth and their families across Kolkata in the area of gender sensitisation, civic consciousness, law compliance etc. This could require a long-term patience but would be need to be implemented right away.
I hope you will respond with speed and sensitivity to the situation.
1. Former Miss India Universe's ordeal
Former Miss India Universe Ushoshi Sengupta was allegedly chased and harassed by a gang of bikers here while returning home from work in an app-based cab.
Seven persons have been arrested in connection with the incident that took place around 11.40 pm on Monday, police said.
The 30-year-old Model-turned-actor Sengupta, brought the sordid incident into notice through a facebook post that prompted police to swing into action.
She was crowned as Miss India Universe in the year 2010.
Narrating the event, Sengupta said she was returning home along with a colleague in an app-based cab, which was hit by a few bike-borne youths who dragged the driver out and roughed him up.
The model claimed that she had sought help from officers of Maidan police station in the heart of the city, and later went to Charu Market police station in south Kolkata.
On both occasions, she was allegedly told that the incident did not happen in their jurisdiction.
The Kolkata Police on Tuesday said it has also initiated an inquiry into the alleged non-registration of FIR.
"A few boys on a bike without any helmet hit our cab at Exide intersection and Jawaharlal Road crossing... Around 15 boys appeared from nowhere and dragged the driver out, started beating him up. This is when I stepped out and started shouting, calling the police and simultaneously started taking video of the entire incident," she said.
She claimed that officers of the Maidan police station, within 50 metres of the spot, initially did not come for help despite her repeated requests.
She was told that the crossing falls under the jurisdiction of Bhawanipore police station.
"It was only when I broke down and pleaded that the driver would get killed that the officers responded. But the boys pushed the police officers and fled," she said.
After about 10-15 minutes, two officers came from Bhawanipore police station but as it was past midnight by then, Sengupta decided to pursue the case on Tuesday morning.
Accordingly, she requested the driver to drop her colleague and her at their homes.
The ordeal continued as six boys on three bikes reappeared and started following the cab near the Lake Gardens area in south Kolkata.
"They stopped my car, threw stones and dragged me out and tried to break my phone to delete the video. My colleague jumped out out of fear and I started shouting to attract some locals' attention there.
"I managed to telephone my dad and my sister at my residence in the next lane when they escaped," Sengupta said.
2. Officers quibbled over jurisdiction
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The actor also alleged that officers at the nearby Charu Market Police Station refused to take any complaint and advised her to, instead, approach the Bhawanipore Police Station.
"After raising a lot of questions, the officer took my complaint but refused to take the complaint of the driver," she said in a Facebook post, recounting the incident.
"We have taken this incident very seriously and seven persons have been arrested so far. On the order of the Commissioner of Police, Kolkata, an inquiry regarding the non-registration of FIR has been initiated into this incident, at a very senior level," the Kolkata Police wrote on its Twitter handle.
The arrests were made on the basis of video grabs provided by Sengupta and CCTV footages.
When contacted, a senior police officer said, "Those arrested seem to be locals who have been violating traffic rules for quite some time. We are hopeful of nabbing the others from the CCTV footages of the surrounding areas." In her facebook post, she attached video of the incident and raised concerns.
"Last night absolutely shook me. This is not the kolkata I came back to, not the kolkata I left flourishing career outside to come back and live. I represented kolkata and won the title of Miss India. I represent this city, I represent this county I stand up for every girl every citizen who is scared to live in this situation.
"Despite making the FIR I never saw any steps being taken against the boys. And not only the locals the police also could identify the boys in the video...shame," she wrote.
3. Healthcare returns to normal
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Patients heaved a sigh of relief on Tuesday after junior doctors resumed work at all state-run hospitals following their week-long stir that had disrupted healthcare services across West Bengal.
All the 14 medical college and hospitals in the state started functioning, with normal work resuming at outdoor facilities, pathological units and other departments.
The patient turnout was high at all the hospitals, including the Nil Ratan Sircar (NRS) Medical College and Hospital, which was the epicentre of the junior doctors' agitation.
"Most of our colleagues have resumed work and they are helping the seniors in delivering regular services in the outpatient departments (OPD) since Tuesday morning," a spokesperson of a joint forum of junior doctors told PTI.
Since many junior doctors were in Kolkata to take part in the agitation, they could not reach their workplaces in far-off areas on Tuesday morning, he said, adding, "They will resume work as soon as they reach the hospitals." "It is a relief for us. We are poor and have no other option but to go to government hospitals. The stir had impacted our treatment. I am happy that it has been called off," said Ariful Haque of Malda district, who regularly visits the NRS hospital for the treatment of his brother's cardiac ailments.
Santanu Hazra, a thalassaemia patient undergoing treatment at the SSKM Hospital in the city, was also happy with the doctors calling off their agitation and rejoining work.
"It was a terrible experience last week when I had to go back home almost everyday due to the agitation. I am financially not that sound to visit private hospitals. I am happy that my treatment has resumed," he said.
Burdwan Medical College, College of Medicine & Sagore Dutta Hospital, Midnapore Medical College and Hospital, Kharagpur Homoeopathic Medical College and Hospital, Murshidabad Medical College and Hospital, Malda Medical College and Hospital, among the other super-speciality hospitals also witnessed a huge turnout of patients since the morning.
4. Patients to return to hospitals
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"Huge number of tickets was issued from most of these hospitals and doctors had a very busy time today. Patients' footfall was almost thrice today," Malda Medical College and Hospital Principal Prof (Dr) Partha Pratim Mukhopadhyay said.
Private hospitals, which witnessed a low patient turnout with most doctors taking leave on Monday owing to a strike called by the Indian Medical Association (IMA), also saw a normal inflow of patients.
Meanwhile, Kolkata Police Commissioner Anuj Sharma held a meeting with senior police officers in connection with the security related decisions taken during the junior doctors' meeting with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at the secretariat on Monday.
Decision was taken to launch a portal and an app for lodging complaints by doctors and staffs on duty in case of any unwanted behaviour by patient or patient's family.
The junior doctors called off their week-long strike on Monday night after meeting Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who assured them of steps to scale up security at the government hospitals in the state.
The medics were on strike since last Tuesday, protesting against the assault on two of their colleagues by the kin of a patient who died at the NRS Hospital and Medical College.
Principal of NRS hospital Prof (Dr) Saibal Mukherjee said, "Doctors are having a busy time at the OPDs. The patients had come here last week but could not be attended to due to the agitation. We are trying our best to treat most of them as it is our duty to serve them." Senior police officers in the rank of assistant commissioners, along with adequate force, are stationed at hospital premises to keep a check on the situation, as per the demands of the junior doctors.
At an hour-long televised meeting with the representatives of the junior doctors on Monday, Banerjee announced a number of steps, including asking the police to appoint nodal officers for the security of doctors at all government hospitals in the state, following which the doctors agreed to call off the stir.
They had received support from across the country. On the call of the IMA, medics in Delhi and other states stayed away from providing non-emergency healthcare services on Monday.
