The horrifying tales of murder, gang rape, and naked parading of women in Manipur during the last two months have thrust the issue of crime against women into the center of political exchanges. The BJP has slammed Opposition-ruled States for equally brutal crimes, while the Bengal police have arrested five persons on Saturday for beating up two women and parading them half-naked on the streets in Malda three days ago.

The day witnessed three important developments on the issue of crime against women.

First, the BJP highlighted alleged atrocities against women in the Opposition-run States of Rajasthan, West Bengal, Bihar, and Chhattisgarh. The party asked Congress, TMC, RJD, and JDU to send women fact-finding delegations to their respective states.

Second, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, stating that his statements about crimes against women in Rajasthan have deeply wounded the pride of the people of the State.

Third, five people were detained by the police in West Bengal’s Malda on Saturday in connection with a shocking incident where two women were allegedly beaten and paraded half-naked by local shopkeepers after they were accused of theft.

Union Information Minister Anurag Thakur, addressing a press conference, criticized Opposition States Rajasthan, Bengal, Bihar, and Chhattisgarh for turning a blind eye to the atrocities against women. He asked Opposition members to “bring lists of crimes against women in their respective States when they come for a debate on Monday”.

“Over one lakh cases of crimes against women have been registered in Rajasthan in the last four years. A total of 33,000 cases pertain to sexual assault on women in Rajasthan,” Thakur alleged.

Stepping up the counter-offensive, Thakur asked why leaders like Mamata Banerjee, Nitish Kumar, Tejashvi Yadav, and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra are not visiting Bihar, Bengal, and Rajasthan, where violent crimes against women are on the rise.

“In Rajasthan, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot sacked his own Minister who raised his voice against rising atrocities against women in the State. Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot apna Iqbal kho chuke hain,” said Thakur, implying that the CM has lost control over the State and governance.

He also took a dig at Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra for her 2022 Uttar Pradesh election slogan “Ladki hoon lad sakti hoon” (I am a girl and I can fight).

“Ladki hoon lad sakti hoon magar Rajasthan nahi jaa sakti hoon (I am a girl and I can fight, but I cannot visit Rajasthan),” he said.

Thakur alleged that Rajasthan ranks as the number one State in crimes against women, with a long list of heinous crimes in cities like Jaipur, Udaipur, Bikaner, and Jodhpur.

“In Vaishali Nagar, 5 km from Rajasthan CM’s residence, a mother is raped before a child and is forced to die; in Karauli a Dalit girl is gang-raped, killed brutally and dumped into a well. Nearly 22 per cent of all crimes against women in India are in Rajasthan.

“In Bihar’s Begusarai, a violent crime has been reported. In Bengal, women were paraded naked. Where is Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi?” Thakur asked as he accused Opposition parties of playing politics over the debate on Manipur in Parliament.

He claimed that the Opposition did not want crimes against women in States ruled by them to be raised and was therefore evading a discussion.

“The Government has repeatedly said it is ready for a discussion. Why did the Opposition waste two days? What is the Opposition afraid of? Are they disinterested because a certain leader is no longer an MP?” asked Thakur, taking a jibe at Rahul Gandhi.

“At least, let a discussion begin, no matter what the rule. A discussion is important, not the rule. In any case, it is for the presiding officers to decide which rule to invoke. The fact is the Opposition is playing politics on crimes against women, and it should stop doing that,” Thakur said.

Meanwhile, Gehlot, who sacked a Minister of his Government on Friday for commenting about cases of crime against women in the State, highlighted Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh’s admission that over 100 incidents of rape have occurred in his State, with nearly 4,000 FIRs being lodged.

Gehlot criticized Prime Minister Modi’s response to the situation, stating that the PM’s behaviour and expression of grief have hurt the sentiments of Rajasthan’s people. Gehlot expressed disappointment over the Prime Minister’s brief mention of Manipur’s issues, which seemed more like a formality, despite the gravity of the situation.

Gehlot pointed out that even if the Prime Minister couldn’t visit the State in person, he could have held meetings in the PMO to assess the situation. He questioned the PM’s extensive travels to various States for campaigning while seemingly neglecting the problems in Manipur, which is also a part of India with a BJP Government.

Gehlot speculated on how different the PM’s response would have been if Manipur were governed by the Congress party.

However, just before his press conference, Chief Minister Gehlot faced a sharp attack from Congress MLA Rajendra Singh Gudha, whom he had dismissed as a minister the day before. Gudha had previously supported Gehlot during his feud with former deputy Sachin Pilot but switched sides last year. Today, Gudha criticized the Chief Minister’s absence from the Assembly and demanded that the home portfolio be entrusted to a more capable individual. He accused Gehlot’s Government of failing to control crimes against women and emphasized the need to prioritize their safety.

In the case of arrest in Malda, the incident, which took place three to four days ago in Malda’s Pakuahat area, caused an uproar among the local community. According to initial reports, the two women were caught by the locals on suspicion of theft before being subjected to a brutal thrashing.

A video of the incident has surfaced, capturing the shocking moment when several women were seen assaulting the accused pair. Strikingly, no complaint was lodged with the police until the video emerged on various social media platforms.

The police revealed that the two women were caught red-handed while committing the alleged theft, leading to their subsequent beating at the hands of local female shopkeepers. After the incident, the women who caught them in the act also fled, and those who had beaten them up were reluctant to file any complaints due to fear.