The new Bharatiya Janata Party government in West Bengal, led by Suvendu Adhikari, has formed two commissions to investigate alleged corruption and crimes against women during the previous Trinamool Congress government.
One of the commissions will investigate alleged atrocities against women and children, especially those belonging to Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe, and minority communities.
The panel will be headed by retired Justice Samapti Chatterjee, while senior IPS officer Damayanti Sen has been appointed as the member secretary.
The appointment of Damayanti Sen has drawn attention because she was linked to the high-profile Park Street rape case in Kolkata in 2012.
At that time, Sen was serving as Joint Commissioner (Crime) of Kolkata Police and was leading the investigation into the case, where a woman alleged she was gang-raped inside a moving car after leaving a nightclub in the Park Street area.
The case became politically controversial after former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee described the incident as a “fabricated story,” leading to widespread criticism and protests.
Despite the controversy, the investigation team under Sen tracked down the accused within days and confirmed that the assault had taken place.
Soon after the case was solved, Sen was transferred from the Crime Branch to the Police Training College in Barrackpore. Though the move was officially called routine, opposition leaders and critics at the time questioned whether she had been sidelined because of the investigation.
Over the years, Sen remained away from many politically sensitive cases, though she later held senior positions in the police department.
In 2022, the Calcutta High Court assigned her to investigate several rape cases and the Rasika Jain death case, which was seen as recognition of her investigative work.
According to the BJP government, the new commission will examine cases such as Sandeshkhali, Kasba, Bogtui, and other alleged incidents involving crimes against women and children during the previous government.
