Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
Kolkata, Jun 29: The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has served a show-cause notice to senior party leader and MLA Madan Mitra following his controversial remarks on a recent rape case involving a law college student. Mitra’s comments, widely criticised as insensitive and victim-blaming, have drawn sharp backlash and forced the party to distance itself from his statements.
On Saturday, Mitra commented that the incident might have been avoided if the student had taken friends along or informed someone before visiting the college, which was closed at the time. "This incident has sent a message to girls — don’t go to a college when it’s closed if someone calls you. If that girl had not gone there, this wouldn’t have happened," he told the media.
The case involves three accused individuals, all reportedly linked to the Trinamool Chhatra Parishad (TMCP), the student wing of TMC. They have since been arrested in connection with the crime.
Mitra's remarks sparked widespread outrage, prompting the TMC to issue a formal statement condemning his comments and clarifying that his views were made in a personal capacity. “The party strongly dissociates itself from such statements,” the statement said.
In response, Mitra posted a clarification on his official X handle, claiming his remarks were misinterpreted and used by certain groups to damage the party’s image. He denied any attempt to shield the accused and asserted that his words were taken out of context.
However, the damage appeared significant enough for TMC’s state president Subrata Bakshi to issue a formal show-cause notice on Sunday. The letter criticised Mitra’s statements as "unsolicited, unnecessary, and insensitive," adding that they undermined the party’s zero-tolerance approach to crimes against women.
“Your comments have adversely affected the image of the party. At the same time, your comments go against the zero-tolerance stance of the party on such cases. You are advised to reply to this show-cause notice on your breach of party discipline within the next three days,” Bakshi wrote.
As of now, Mitra has not issued any public response to the show-cause notice.