KOLKATA: The mother of the RG Kar rape and murder victim — now contesting as the BJP candidate from Panihati — has sparked a sharp political controversy after a video surfaced in which she threatens to physically assault CM Mamata Banerjee. Trinamool has filed a complaint with the Election Commission seeking action against her.In the video, recorded during a campaign interaction near Sodepur’s Azad Hind Nagar on Saturday evening, the candidate was heard saying: “Just as my daughter was beaten to death after being dragged by her hair, I will grab her (the CM) by her hair and spin her around. If I meet the CM, I will either put her in jail or throw her into the gutter and thrash her.”She also accused sitting Panihati MLA Nirmal Ghosh of attempting to destroy evidence in her daughter’s case, and alleged that Ghosh’s son Tirthankar — the Trinamool candidate she faces — was fielded to “cover up the crime.”Earlier in the same interaction, she said she was “primarily fighting against the CM, who is responsible for my daughter’s death at a govt medical hospital,” adding that her daughter had been murdered for raising her voice against corruption in govt medical colleges.Trinamool MP Kalyan Banerjee, in a letter to the chief election commissioner, called the remarks a “serious threat to democratic values and public decorum” and said they risked vitiating the electoral atmosphere. The party sought prompt legal and disciplinary action.The BJP has not responded to the controversy. The candidate’s husband said they were unaware of any formal complaint and described the remarks as made “in a moment of intense anger,” adding that Trinamool workers had been attempting to disrupt BJP’s campaign in the area.Tirthankar Ghosh declined to engage with the remarks directly. “She is undergoing immense psychological trauma. I don’t wish to comment,” he said. His father Nirmal Ghosh called the comments “distasteful,” saying they reflected “a disturbed state of mind,” and confirmed the party had initiated steps under the election code.
