Her Daughter Was Raped and Killed. Now She’s Seeking Office, and Justic...

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Her Daughter Was Raped and Killed. Now She’s Seeking Office, and Justice.

Ratna Debnath is a candidate for the party of Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, which is campaigning on women’s safety in a state election.

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Ratna Debnath, center, campaigning in the North 24 Parganas district in West Bengal this month.

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Atul Loke for The New York Times

By

Anupreeta Das

and

Hari Kumar

Anupreeta Das and Hari Kumar spoke with the candidate and her supporters as they campaigned door to door in Kolkata.

April 30, 2026,

12:01 a.m. ET

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The heinous rape and murder, in August 2024, of a young doctor who was resting in a hospital seminar room between shifts unleashed a storm of rage, leading to a criminal inquiry that expanded into broader investigations into potential systemic corruption.

More than a year-and-a-half later, the doctor’s mother, Ratna Debnath, has stepped into the political realm as a candidate for West Bengal’s state legislature, aiming to seek justice for her daughter and

greater safety

for women.

“I’ve lost my daughter and my house has become empty, but I want to ensure the safety of thousands of women,” said Ms. Debnath, 54. “That’s why I’ve joined politics.”

Ms. Debnath’s personal story became a key element in the campaign of the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Hindu nationalist political party of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to unseat the current government of West Bengal, which is led by Mamata Banerjee of the Trinamool Congress party.

By choosing to join the B.J.P., which sought her candidacy for months, Ms. Debnath has thrust herself not just into the

heat of the state’s election

. She has also become a figure in Mr. Modi’s broader campaign to position his party nationwide as a champion of women.

While women have made significant strides in India, with greater numbers entering the formal work force, many still fight the undertow of patriarchal norms that continue to dominate society and, in many contexts, normalize violence against them. In recent years, overall crime against women has risen, although there has been a decline in the number of dowry deaths, the leading cause of violence against women. Many crimes also go unreported.

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