TMC MP sorry for comments on women doctors
New Delhi, September 1
Cornered by protests demanding justice for the RG Kar rape and murder victim, West Bengal’s ruling TMC found itself in more trouble in the wake of remarks by its MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar saying “women medical students offered sexual favours to examiners to pass exams”.
In a letter to Indian Medical Association (IMA), the West Bengal Chapter of Indian Psychiatric Society (IPS) said Dastidar’s statement was “demeaning to all lady doctors of West Bengal and it questioned their merit, hard work and sincerity toward the profession”. The letter demanded expulsion of Dastidar from the IMA on “the ground of misconduct towards her colleagues”.
The protests forced Dastidar — a physician herself and former student of RG Kar Medical College Hospital — to issue a statement on Sunday tendering an apology for her comments that she made while participating in a panel discussion on the rape-murder case.
“I am sorry for any statement made in a talk show and apologise if my words have hurt anyone’s sentiments. I retract my statement,” she posted on X.
Meanwhile, taking umbrage at the media coverage of the case, the TMC has decided to boycott three Bangla news channels, including the widely watched ABP Ananda channel.
