‘Ostrich-like attitude will not pay,’ Governor Ananda Bose asks Mamata Banerjee to call emergency Cabinet meet

In response to public outrage over the death of a woman doctor, West Bengal Governor Dr. CV Ananda Bose on Sunday instructed Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to convene an emergency Cabinet meeting to address the issue, according to a Raj Bhavan source.

Governor Bose also urged the state government to consider the demand for the removal of Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal.

Sources close to PTI said, "Governor Bose has directed Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to hold an emergency Cabinet meeting to discuss people's demand for justice for the deceased woman doctor" 

Bose is on record that the government cannot evade responsibility and remain silent on the disturbing developments in the state, he said.

"According to the governor, the state should function within the Constitution and the rule of law. The ostrich-like attitude will not pay and the state must address the public demand to remove the Police Commissioner of Kolkata," the source said.

TMC faces unprecedented challenge

The rape and murder of a woman doctor at RG Kar Hospital has triggered massive public outrage in West Bengal, creating a major political crisis for the ruling TMC and posing one of the biggest challenges to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's leadership since she took office in 2011.

The incident sparked a sustained mass movement transcending political affiliations, with citizens from all walks of life demanding justice and accountability, and its grassroots intensity and lack of overt political banners have made it the most formidable civil movement since Banerjee's rise to power, exposing deep-seated frustrations over governance and safety under her administration.

Political observers and leaders believe the sustained mass movement following the tragedy has created fertile ground for a new political party in West Bengal driven by ordinary citizens, students, and professionals disillusioned with the ruling TMC and opposition BJP and CPI(M).

The body of an on-duty trainee doctor, who was raped and murdered, was found in the seminar room of state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9, triggering nationwide outrage.

Protests were held by common people daily in Kolkata and other parts of West Bengal.