Bengaluru, Aug 17 (IANS): The Mahila Morcha of the BJP took out a candle light march in Bengaluru on Saturday protesting the rape and murder of a junior doctor at the R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata last week.

Speaking at the gathering, Union Minister of State Shobha Karandlaje wondered how many more lives will be lost before we address the rising violence against women, as she demanded West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to step down from her chair immediately.

Criticising the Bengal government's lack of action in the tragic case, Karandlaje said the victim came from a poor family and her mother had struggled to make her a doctor, hoping she would be an asset to the society.

"The Calcutta High Court had to intervene and order a CBI investigation because justice was denied by the local administration and the state government," Karandlaje said, as she expressed concern about similar incidents occurring in Karnataka, citing the recent cases of suicide and the lack of protection for police officers.

She also accused the officials in West Bengal of remaining silent on issues of justice, stating that raising one's voice often leads to dire consequences there.

Lamenting that had strict action been taken earlier, such tragedies could have been avoided, the Minister criticised the Bengal government for the lawlessness prevailing there and assured that the nation stands with the victim's family.

Karandlaje also recalled the nationwide outrage over the Nirbhaya case in 2012, which forced the Centre to amend laws.

However, she claimed that these laws needed approval from the states, and at that time, the Karnataka government under Siddaramaiah had opposed the amendments.

Maintaining that law and order is the responsibility of the state governments, she said the CBI investigation into the RG Kar case is proceeding only after the high court intervened.

Karnataka Mahila Morcha chief K. Manjula warned that the fire sparked by the R.G. Kar case will continue to spread across the country, as she demanded Mamata Banerjee's immediate resignation.