Kolkata: The father of the RG Kar Medical College rape and murder victim has sharply contested the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report that named Kolkata as India’s safest city for the fourth consecutive year, calling it a “paperwork-based misrepresentation” that ignores harsh ground realities.

“The National Crime Bureau released a report claiming Kolkata is the safest city in India. However, the people who made this report did not base it on ground realities; they relied solely on paperwork. In Kolkata, at least 90 per cent of incidents are not registered as FIR cases,” he said. “Even a six-month-old girl is not safe here. No one—man or woman—is safe in Kolkata.”

His comments came as the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) celebrated the NCRB findings, crediting Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s leadership for Kolkata’s continued top ranking.

“For the fourth year in a row, Kolkata has been named India’s safest city. A city that believes in care, compassion, and community led by our Hon’ble CM @mamataofficial, who believes safety is service,” the party said on X.

The victim’s mother also voiced anguish over what she described as a deep failure of law enforcement and systemic corruption.

“If there had been proper security, my daughter, who was a doctor, would have been safe in her hospital. She was brutally beaten and killed, yet no one knows the full truth,” she said, adding that “hundreds of such incidents go unreported every year.”

Kolkata Police Commissioner Manoj Kumar Verma welcomed the NCRB recognition, saying, “It is a very positive story. Kolkata Police and West Bengal Police always try their best to keep citizens safe.” He acknowledged occasional lapses but emphasised the role of teamwork, vigilance, and technology in crime prevention.

“The secret lies in continuous efforts to improve policing, learning from failures, valuing public opinions, and being receptive to changes. There is no shortcut to success. Policing is never a one-man show,” Verma said.