Woman stabbed to death in Calcutta; singer sexually assaulted at party

Stock image of students protesting against rape is for representation purposes. | Image credit: The Hindu

Within 24 hours of the West Bengal Assembly passing the Aparajita Act for women and children on Tuesday (September 3, 2024), two cases of assault on women occurred in Kolkata.

While a video of a man stabbing a young woman to death in Belgharia, north Kolkata, went viral on Wednesday (September 4, 2024), a singer and her sister were allegedly sexually assaulted by two Delhi men around midnight during a party at a hotel on Tuesday (September 3, 2024).

In Belgharia, the woman was attacked by the man after a verbal argument. Police said she is battling for her life at a private hospital in EM Bypass area. Police have arrested the attacker on charges of attempted murder.

Soon after the video of the incident surfaced, local residents blocked the Belgharia Expressway Road in protest and demanded security. They lifted the blockade after police pacified them.

Sexual harassment

According to police, a singer participating in a pop music competition was sexually harassed at a party at a five-star hotel on EM Bypass. The singer told police that her sister was also harassed by the two men, one of whom is an NRI. The two accused inappropriately touched and harassed the women and threatened them with dire consequences. Police have arrested the two men.

The two incidents occurred on the day the bill was passed that provides strict punishment for rape. The same day, protests broke out on the EM Bypass, where medical personnel from across the state formed a 13 km long human chain demanding justice for the victim of RG Kar.

On Tuesday (September 3, 2024), West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee called the bill a “historic and exemplary bill” amid ongoing protests. “Every well-meaning person will support it,” she said.