The All India Progressive Women's Association (AIPWA), along with several women's organisations and democratic platforms, organised a protest at Sealdah on July 8 demanding justice for the minor girl who was brutally raped and murdered in Baruipur.
The protesters asserted that the Baruipur atrocity was not an isolated incident but part of a continuing pattern of sexual violence, rape and murder of women and children in West Bengal. They said these repeated incidents had exposed the failure of the state government to ensure women's safety and demanded accountability from the administration
The protest strongly opposed the Chief Minister's remarks suggesting instant retribution, stating that threats of "encounter" killings cannot substitute the rule of law or the criminal justice system. The demonstrators demanded a judicial inquiry into the so-called encounter in Baruipur, a time-bound and impartial investigation into the rape and murder of the minor girl, and an independent investigation into the state-led killing of a key witness and the circumstances surrounding it..
In a joint statement issued the same day, the participating women's organisations also demanded an investigation into the role of the police, including negligence and any undue advantage extended to the perpetrators, with punishment for those found guilty. The statement called for an independent probe into the role of all politically influential persons connected with the case, withdrawal of all cases filed against Left activists for participating in democratic protests, protection of the democratic right to protest, and security, legal aid and a speedy, transparent process of justice for the victim's family.
The organisations also demanded effective and accountable measures to ensure the safety of women and children in educational institutions, workplaces, public transport and neighbourhoods. They stressed that women's freedom cannot be curtailed in the name of safety and that the state must guarantee conditions in which every woman and girl can live with dignity and without fear.
The protest reaffirmed the demands for justice for the Baruipur victim, exemplary punishment for the perpetrators, defence of the rule of law, and protection of women's freedom, safety and dignity.
