Kolkata, March 26: The statement of a renowed psychologist whom the R.G. Kar rape and murder victim tragedy contacted for counselling a couple of months before the ghastly tragedy in August last year can now turn crucial in the course of investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The said counsellor voluntarily came forward to contact the family and the victim’s close associates. He has narrated some details of what the victim woman doctor confided when she went for a counselling session a couple of months before her body was recovered from the seminar hall within the hospital premises on the morning of August 9 last year.

The counsellor had told these stakeholders that the victim came for counselling with complaints of psychological fatigue resulting from sleep deprivation because of “sustained and prolonged duty hours” allotted to her.

As claimed by the counsellor, the victim also confided to her that the “sustained and prolonged duty hours” were deliberately allotted to her since she started protesting against mismanagement and irregularities on the part of a section of her seniors.

The concerned counsellor has also promised the victim’s parents that, given any opportunity, he would narrate his findings during the counselling sessions with the victim at any court where the matter is pending.

Sources aware of the development said the statements of the counsellor, if recorded, will be an important tool for the investigating officials of CBI in carrying forward the next lines of investigation in the matter, which is basically about the angle of evidence tampering and alteration during the initial phase of investigation.

However, Calcutta High Court’s single-judge bench of Justice Tirthankar Ghosh, where a fresh hearing in the matter has started this week, had already directed the CBI to clarify to the court whether the tragedy was a case of “rape or “gang-rape”.

The next hearing in the matter at Justice Ghosh’s bench is scheduled for March 28. The CBI had also been directed by Justice Ghosh to submit the case diary in the matter to his court on that day.

The Calcutta High Court’s “rape or gang-rape” observation has encouraged different bodies of the medical fraternity in the state to start a fresh stir on this issue in the coming days.

Lucknow, March 26: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president Mayawati on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on the BJP, accusing it of using the ‘Saugat-e-Modi’ initiative to serve its political interests under the guise of outreach to minority communities.

In a post on X, Mayawati criticised the BJP’s announcement to deliver special kits and messages from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to minority families during religious festivals such as Eid, Baisakhi, Good Friday, and Easter.

“BJP’s announcement to send the Prime Minister’s ‘love message and gift’ in the form of ‘Saugat-e-Modi’ to 32 lakh poor minority families on Eid, Baisakhi, Good Friday, and Easter is only driven by their political interest. When Muslims and Bahujan Samaj are living in fear for their lives, property, and religion, what good will such gifts bring?” Mayawati wrote in the post.

She further argued that instead of symbolic gestures, the government should work to address poverty, unemployment, and social backwardness among minority communities.

“It would have been better if the Central and State governments of the BJP, instead of offering the ‘Gift of Modi’ to a few poor Muslim and other religious minority families, had made permanent arrangements for employment and taken serious steps to alleviate their poverty, unemployment, and backwardness. Proper attention to their security is also crucial,” she added in another post.

The BJP launched the ‘Saugat-e-Modi’ campaign on Tuesday as part of its outreach effort targeting deprived Muslim communities. Under the initiative, 32 lakh underprivileged Muslims across the country will receive special kits ahead of Eid.

To facilitate this, 32,000 BJP workers have been deployed, each tasked to cater to one mosque. The campaign aims to cover 32,000 mosques nationwide, with BJP workers delivering the gifts before the festival.

BJP’s Minority Morcha is spearheading the campaign and coordinating the distribution of the ‘Saugat-e-Modi’ kits.

The initiative is viewed as part of the party’s broader strategy to engage with and win the support of marginalised sections within minority communities.

New Delhi, March 26: The Central Government has called a meeting of all Members of Parliament (MPs) on Wednesday to discuss the Waqf Amendment Bill 2024 in detail.

The meeting will provide MPs with a one-hour briefing on the proposed amendments to the Waqf laws, scheduled from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. in Coordination Room No. 5 of the Parliament.

The government is keen on explaining the contents of the bill before presenting it to Parliament, amidst growing opposition.

The Waqf Amendment Bill has sparked controversy across the nation, with many groups accusing the Central Government of acting against the interests of the Muslim community.

Various Muslim organizations, including the prominent Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind, have raised objections, calling the bill anti-Muslim. They argue that the amendments could lead to the mismanagement of Waqf properties and undermine the autonomy of the Muslim community in managing its charitable endowments.

The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) has been vocal in its opposition, declaring that it will organise large-scale protests in different parts of the country.

On March 26, a demonstration will take place in Patna’s Gardanibagh, followed by another protest in Vijayawada on March 29.

AIMPLB’s spokesperson, Qasim Rasool Ilyas, condemned the bill, stating that it was introduced on communal grounds and violated the rights of Muslims. He further claimed that the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC), which reviewed the bill, acted unilaterally, disregarding the concerns of opposition parties and Muslim organisations.

The Joint Parliamentary Committee, after several meetings and hearings, presented its report on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill. The 31-member committee proposed several amendments to the legislation, which were accepted by the majority of 15 BJP MPs against 11 opposition members.

However, the opposition has expressed strong dissent, with concerns over the bill’s implications for Muslim religious and charitable institutions.

As the discussion continues, the government faces increasing pressure from various sources, accompanied by nationwide protests.