A press conference was held at the Kolkata Press Club to release an Open Letter to the Hon. Chief Minister of West Bengal sent via the Chief Minister’s Office’s official email address. This was sent by Nagorik Chetona.

Nagorik Chetona is a civil society collective that represents concerned citizens from a variety of backgrounds, including artists, filmmakers, musicians, social workers, activists, lawyers, doctors, and other professionals who are united by a deep concern for the safety and dignity of all women and transgender people in Bengal.

A copy of the letter was also marked/sent to (1) Sri Manoj Pande, IPS, Commissioner of Police, Kolkata (2) Hon. Minister Dr. Shashi Panja of the Department of Health (3) Hon. Minister Sri Snehashis Chakraborty of the Department of Transport and (4) Hon. Minister Sri Bratya Basu of the Department of Education.

Aparna Sen, celebrated filmmaker and one of the founders of Nagorik Chetona, Dr. Ratna Pal, Convenor of Nagorik Chetona, Rimjim Sinha, founder of Nagorik Chetona, Chhandak Chatterjee, founder of Nagorik Chetona, and Avik Saha, founder of Nagorik Chetona graced the press conference.

The Open Letter to the Hon Chief Minister was signed by 50 leading personalities including Filmmaker Kamaleshwar Mukherjee, Filmmaker and Actor Churni Ganguly, Social Scientist Partha Chatterjee, Environmental Activist Banani Kakkar, and Pradeep Kakkar, Actor and Filmmaker Parambrata Chattopadhyay, Actor and Filmmaker Konkona Sensharma, Ex-MP, former Culture Secretary of India Jawahar Sircar, Author Amit Chaudhuri, Actor and Theatre Personality Sohag Sen, Filmmaker Birsa Dasgupta, Actor Bidipta Chakraborty, Filmmaker Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury and Scientist Dr. Debal Deb.

Speaking at the press conference, Aparna Sen, said “The state has been rocked by the horrifying event at RG Kar Medical College, which has highlighted the urgent need for structural adjustments in West Bengal’s approach to women’s protection. Frequent incidents in Newtown, Bankura, Jaynagar, Potashpur, Alipurduar, and numerous other locations serve as startling illustrations of the intolerable conditions that women face in this culture. With 86.5 instances per lakh population, Kolkata has been named the safest city for women by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). However, West Bengal has a startlingly high crime rate for crimes like dowry killings, acid assaults, and domestic abuse. For many women in our state, the gap between perception and lived reality is reflected in this startling disparity. This can be changed with long-term vision and strategy”.

“The assault against women in our institutions and public places is a national problem. The state must act swiftly and decisively in response to this, and Bengal can and should lead by example” said Dr. Ratna Pal.

“Legal awareness and gender sensitization must be implemented in schools. Education is essential to combating the underlying causes of violence against women” said Avik Saha.

Speaking on behalf of Nagorik Chetona, speakers affirmed their strong belief that West Bengal can establish the standard for gender justice in India, and as a result, we can use this national crisis as a springboard for genuine change. Bengal has long been a leader in social movements, education, and culture; now, it is our turn to take the lead in the country’s struggle for women’s safety and dignity. Let Bengal be the first to declare that women’s safety is a top priority.

Priyanka Dutta