West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee throughout a go to to the College of Oxford on March 27, 2025.
| Photograph Credit score: @MamataOfficial/PTI

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee address at an Oxford Establishment 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 different points referring to the State throughout her speech.

Ms. Banerjee was delivering a lecture on the subject ‘Social Improvement – Woman, Little one and Girls Empowerment in West Bengal’, when about half a dozen individuals from the viewers stood up and raised posters.

When the protesters raised the incident at R G Kar MCH, the Chief Minister began answering them in the midst of her speech. “You understand the case is sub-judice, and the central authorities has taken over it. It isn’t with us. Please don’t do politics right here, this platform is just not for politics. That you are able to do in my State not right here and you already know higher than about crowd funding and all,” Ms Banerjee mentioned.

Mamata challenges Left

Later because the commotion continued, the Chief Minister recognized the protesters as “left and ultra-left and communal mates”. “You might be mendacity. Don’t do it brother. I’ve particular affection for you. Don’t make it a political platform. If you wish to make it a political platform, you go to Bengal and inform your political get together to change into even stronger, to battle towards communal individuals,” the Trinamool Congress chairperson mentioned.

The UK (UK) unit of College students’ Federation of India took to social media and mentioned that the protests had been organised by them. “We overtly opposed her blatant lies by asking her to supply proof of the social growth she claims to have pioneered in West Bengal. As an alternative of permitting us to peacefully specific our opinions, the police had been referred to as,” mentioned the assertion by SFI- UK on ‘X’.

The scholars wing of the Communist Get together of India ( Marxist) additionally added that they questioned the Chief Minister “on her statements of victim-blaming and lethargy towards the RG Kar incident.” “In assist of the scholars and dealing lots of West Bengal, SFI-UK raised its voice in opposition to Mamata Banerjee and the TMC’s corrupt, undemocratic rule,” the assertion mentioned.

On the Kellogg Faculty because the protesters held posters with questions directed to the Chief Minister, Ms Banerjee held {a photograph} of her the place she is injured and lined with bandages.

“I’ll reply you, first see my image, how an try was made to kill me. It is best to give me an opportunity to talk. You aren’t insulting me, you might be disrespecting your establishment. These individuals do that all over the place. They do it wherever I am going,” Ms. Banerjee mentioned.

Because the protests had been dying down, the Chief Minister mentioned that there was no level in intimidating her and that she’s going to come to Oxford twice a yr. Ms. Banerjee went on to finish her speech the place she emphasised on inclusivity and unity of all communities. “If I die, earlier than my demise, I need to see unity. Unity is our power and divide is our fall. It’s Swami Vivekananda’s religion. To maintain unity is a really tough factor and to divide the individuals, it takes solely a second. Do you assume the world can maintain such [divisive] ideology?,” the Chief Minister mentioned in her speech.

The Trinamool Congress chairperson had expressed apprehensions about protests within the U.Ok., earlier than leaving for the journey and mentioned that if any such incident happens it would garner her extra publicity. The protests have evoked sharp reactions in West Bengal with Trinamool management calling the event “ unlucky” and focusing on the CPI(M).