The brutal rape and murder in August 2024 of a young doctor who was relaxing in a hospital seminar room between shifts sparked a storm of anger, leading to a criminal investigation that expanded into a broader investigation into possible systemic corruption.
More than a year and a half later, the doctor’s mother, Ratna Debnath, has entered the political arena as a candidate for the state assembly of West Bengal, demanding justice for her daughter and greater protection for women.
“I have lost my daughter and my house is empty, but I want to ensure the safety of thousands of women,” said Ms Debnath, 54. “That’s why I joined politics.”
Ms Debnath’s personal story became a key element in the campaign by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist political party, the Bharatiya Janata Party, to oust West Bengal’s current government, which is led by Mamata Banerjee of the Trinamool Congress party.
By choosing to join the BJP, which has been demanding her candidature for months, Ms Debnath has not only thrown herself into the heat of the state elections. She has also become a face in Mr Modi’s broader campaign to position his party as a champion of women across the country.
While women in India have made significant progress, entering the formal workforce in greater numbers, many still struggle under patriarchal norms that dominate society and, in many contexts, normalize violence against them. In recent years, overall crime against women has increased, although the number of dowry deaths, the leading cause of violence against women, has declined. Many crimes do not even get registered.
BJP has launched various welfare programs and campaigns to support women, but has also been criticized in the wake of major incidents of sexual violence. Police in New Delhi cracked down on protests against sexual assault in the sport of wrestling in 2023 and a year earlier, the jail terms of 11 people convicted of rape and murder in the state ruled by Mr Modi were commuted.
In West Bengal, the BJP is wooing women voters, who participated in the 2021 state elections in greater numbers than male voters, by making their safety and welfare a pillar of its campaign.
At a rally with Ms Debnath on Friday afternoon, Mr Modi – who campaigned in the state – portrayed the Trinamool as “anti-women” and a corrupt, anarchic government that failed to hold everyone involved in his daughter’s case accountable. Hundreds of women present were wearing turbans or scarves in saffron, the signature color of the BJP.
He announced programs that would provide more cash benefits to pregnant women, loans of up to 2 million rupees, or about $21,500, for self-employed women and free cervical cancer vaccines.
Some people liked BJP’s focus on women. Neha Raut, a 26-year-old school teacher from Panighata village, praised Mr Modi for his “feminism” because of his support for women’s education and empowerment. He hoped that the party would be able to provide jobs rather than just distributing cash.
Ms Banerjee, who is seeking a fourth term in office, highlighted popular welfare programs launched for women since she came to power in 2011. He also focused on portraying Trinamool as an inclusive party and protector of Bengali identity.
At the national level, the BJP-led government recently sought to push a bill to expand Parliament from 543 to 850 seats and reserve 33 percent seats for women in Parliament and state governments. (About 14 percent of India’s current Parliament is women.)
But opposition parties accused the government of using the issue as a backdoor to potentially tilt the balance of power in Parliament to give more seats to BJP stronghold states.
After the government’s proposal collapsed, Mr Modi gave an official televised address and accused the opposition of obstructing moves to empower women. His speech was criticized by civil society groups as a violation of the country’s code of conduct governing elections, which prohibits officials from using their official position for campaigning. Voters turned out to vote in four Indian states and one territory in April.
On Friday afternoon, the Prime Minister took his message to Panihati – the Kolkata constituency from where Ms Debnath is contesting. His daughter, a 31-year-old trainee doctor, was found dead in a top hospital on August 9, 2024. The crime led to nationwide protests by doctors demanding safe working conditions and justice for the victim. Indian law does not allow rape victims to be named publicly.
As Mr Modi walked towards Ms Debnath on the stage, he bent to touch her feet as a sign of respect. Later, they folded their hands in prayer, and he touched her head with his palm when she asked for blessings – these pictures went viral on social media. He excited the huge crowd by shouting at the women and young girls in the audience before launching into a political front against Trinamool.
Party member and her election advisor Joy Saha said the BJP had approached Ms Debnath about six months ago to persuade her to join politics. But Ms Debnath took the decision recently, he said. Party officials said they hope their story will resonate with people and inspire them to vote. Voting ended on Wednesday and results are expected on May 4.
Ms. Debnath’s campaign was mainly door-to-door. She usually wore a plain white saree and slippers, a pair of rectangular spectacles and a paste of vermillion in her open hair, which many married Hindu women wear. Most mornings and evenings, he shook hands and waved to potential voters. Sometimes people touched his feet.
On a recent Saturday evening, Ms Debnath seemed at times overwhelmed by the endless sloganeering going on around her. Although he lacked the performance of experienced candidates, he spoke calmly about his plans if he wins.
“I have joined the BJP because they are a central party through which we can reach higher levels of power for justice,” Ms Debnath said. “What happened to my daughter, why did it happen and who did it – these are the three questions,” she said, adding that she is searching for answers.
A man was convicted of the rape and murder of Ms Debnath’s daughter and is serving a life sentence. But the incident also led to extensive investigations by two central government agencies into whether crime scene evidence was tampered with, and allegations of financial misconduct at the hospital.
Since 2024, the Trinamool party has repeatedly stated that it has no involvement in criminal behavior or financial misconduct, and that any irregularities at the public hospital are linked to individuals.
If elected, Ms Debnath said she would seek changes to the law to make it possible for rape victims to be named. He said his daughter was a hard-working doctor who wanted to add more degrees to the end of her name. But as soon as she became a victim, her daughter’s name was erased from public life. “As a mother, I can’t bear this.”
Chandrashekhar Bhattacharya and Suhasini Raj Contributed to the reporting.
