Mamata Banerjee’s speech at Oxford disrupted, as protestors raise RG Kar issue

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee's Oxford speech disrupted by protesters questioning rape case, leading to heated exchanges.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee address at an Oxford Institution was disrupted on Thursday (March 27, 2025) as protesters raised questions on the rape and murder of a doctor at Kolkata’s R G Kar Hospital and other issues relating to the State during her speech.

Ms. Banerjee was delivering a lecture on the topic ‘Social Development – Girl, Child and Women Empowerment in West Bengal’, when about half a dozen people from the audience stood up and raised posters.

When the protesters raised the incident at R G Kar MCH, the Chief Minister started answering them in the middle of her speech. “You know the case is sub-judice, and the central government has taken over it. It is not with us. Please do not do politics here, this platform is not for politics. That you can do in my State not here and you know better than about crowd funding and all,” Ms Banerjee said.

Later as the commotion continued, the Chief Minister identified the protesters as “left and ultra-left and communal friends”. “You are lying. Don’t do it brother. I have special affection for you. Do not make it a political platform. If you want to make it a political platform, you go to Bengal and tell your political party to become even stronger, to fight against communal people,” the Trinamool Congress chairperson said.

The United Kingdom (UK) unit of Students’ Federation of India took to social media and said that the protests were organised by them. “We openly opposed her blatant lies by asking her to provide evidence of the social development she claims to have pioneered in West Bengal. Instead of allowing us to peacefully express our opinions, the police were called,” said the statement by SFI- UK on ‘X’.

The students wing of the Communist Party of India ( Marxist) also added that they questioned the Chief Minister “on her statements of victim-blaming and lethargy against the RG Kar incident.” “In support of the students and working masses of West Bengal, SFI-UK raised its voice in opposition to Mamata Banerjee and the TMC’s corrupt, undemocratic rule,” the statement said.

At the Kellogg College as the protesters held posters with questions directed to the Chief Minister, Ms Banerjee held a photograph of her where she is injured and covered with bandages.