Ratna Debnath
রত্না দেবনাথ
Member of Vidhan Sabha, West Bengal
elected
Assumed office
TBT
Preceded by Nirmal Ghosh
Constituency Panihati
Personal details
Party Bharatiya Janata Party (since 2026)
Children 1 (deceased)
Occupation
  • Politician
  • activist
Known for
Public advocacy following RG Kar rape case

Ratna Debnath is an Indian politician and activist. She was nominated by the Bharatiya Janata Party as its candidate from the Panihati Assembly constituency for the 2026 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election.[1] She came to wider public attention as the mother of the victim in the 2024 Kolkata RG Kar Medical College and Hospital case, which led to public protests and debate over women's safety and justice in West Bengal.[2][3]

Personal life

Ratna Debnath is the mother of the victim in the 2024 Kolkata RG Kar Medical College and Hospital case.[4] Her only daughter was a 31 year old resident doctor in R.G Kar MCH, when she was raped and murdered on duty. Following the incident, there was widespread protest in the state by the medical fraternity as well as by common people demanding justice for the victim.[5] The family expressed their dissatisfaction with the investigation and said their daughter was denied justice.[6] In 2025 Debnath said she wanted to contest elections and enter politics to serve justice to her daughter and was subsequently given a ticket by the BJP. Debnath was criticised by the politicians of the ruling party of West Bengal for her education qualification, however it was not well received by the common public.[7][1]

Debnath is an illiterate.[8]

Political career

Ahead of the 2026 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election, the BJP announced Debnath as its candidate from Panihati Assembly constituency in North 24 Parganas district.[9][10][11] During her campaign, Debnath stated that women’s safety and justice were among her priorities.[12][13] She was warmly welcomed by teary eyed people wherever she went for campaigning. Her quest for justice was also supported by several politicians from the BJP. The Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former Union Minister Smriti Irani, former Chief Minister of Tripura Biplab Deb, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan were among the politicians who extended their support for her.[14] She was allegedly harassed and intimidated by some supporters of the ruling party while filing her nomination.[15] Debnath won the 2026 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election from Panihati by a huge margin defeating Tirthankar Ghosh from AITC.[16]

Public profile

After her candidacy was confirmed, in one media interaction she said she will not comb her hair untill her daughter was served justice and the then chief minister Mamata Banerjee was dethroned.[17] Commentators described her candidacy as symbolically significant because it connected issues of justice, public safety, and electoral politics in West Bengal.[2][18] The 2024 Kolkata RG Kar Medical College and Hospital case and Debnath's decision to contest election from BJP is said to be one of the biggest reason for loss of All India Trinamool Congress and Mamata Banerjee. The election resulted in BJP scripting a historic landslide victory winning 207 seats out of 293 and All India Trinamool Congress being reduced to only 80 seats. The outgoing chief minister Mamata Banerjee lost to BJP candidate Suvendu Adhikari.[19]

Electoral performance

West Bengal Legislative Assembly
Year Constituency Party Votes % Opponent Party Votes % Margin Result
2026 Panihati BJP 87,977 59.8% Tirthankar Ghosh AITC 59,141 40.2% 28,836 Won

References

  1. ^ "BJP releases Bengal candidate list, names Ratna Debnath from Panihati". The Hindu. 25 March 2026.
  2. ^ a b "All About Ratna Debnath, Mother Of RG Kar Victim, Contesting For BJP From Panihati". NDTV. 22 April 2026.
  3. ^ "RG Kar case becomes major issue in Bengal politics". India Today. 2026.
  4. ^ Desk, India Today News (4 May 2026). "Ratna Debnath, RG Kar victim's mother and BJP candidate, wins Bengal elections". India Today. Retrieved 5 May 2026. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  5. ^ https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crmwj4z1xpko
  6. ^ Chatterjee, Moyurie Som & Shrabana (7 June 2025). "R.G. Kar case: Parents of deceased doctor express dissatisfaction with CBI probe". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
  7. ^ "Ratna Debnath(Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP)):Constituency- PANIHATI(NORTH 24 PARGANAS) - Affidavit Information of Candidate:". www.myneta.info. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
  8. ^ "Ratna Debnath(Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP)):Constituency- PANIHATI(NORTH 24 PARGANAS) - Affidavit Information of Candidate:". www.myneta.info. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
  9. ^ "West Bengal polls: RG Kar victim's mother Ratna Debnath gets BJP ticket from Panihati". The Times of India. 25 March 2026.
  10. ^ "WB Assembly Elections: Mother of RG Kar victim gets BJP candidature from Panihati constituency". Akashvani News. 26 March 2026.
  11. ^ "BJP names Ratna Debnath in Bengal poll list". Hindustan Times. 26 March 2026.
  12. ^ "West Bengal polls: RG Kar victim's mother files nomination, says women's safety a priority". The Times of India. 9 April 2026.
  13. ^ "Ratna Debnath campaigns on women's safety agenda". The Telegraph. 2026.
  14. ^ Das, Anupreeta; Das, Hari KumarAnupreeta; candidate, Hari Kumar spoke with the; Kolkata, her supporters as they campaigned door to door in (30 April 2026). "Her Daughter Was Raped and Killed. Now She's Seeking Office — and Justice". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
  15. ^ "'TMC goons tried to attack me, threatened me over May 4': BJP's Ratna Debnath amid West Bengal Phase 2 polling". The Economic Times. 29 April 2026. ISSN 0013-0389. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
  16. ^ Rajput, Kajal (4 May 2026). "West Bengal Assembly Polls 2026: Ratna Debnath, RG Kar victim's mother leads in Panihati". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  17. ^ ""Won't comb my hair till my daughter gets justice": Mother of RG Kar rape victim 'vows' to defeat Mamata Banerjee in polls". ANI News. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
  18. ^ "Ratna Debnath candidature seen as symbolic BJP move". The Economic Times. 2026.
  19. ^ Ellis-Petersen, Hannah (4 May 2026). "Narendra Modi's BJP wins election in West Bengal for the first time". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 5 May 2026.