The recent Kolkata rape-murder case is something which questions the current state of workplace security, not only in West Bengal but across India.
Kolkata Rape-Murder: The crime raises a lot of question
Kolkata Rape-Murder: 9th August 2024 was the day when a trainee resident doctor of R.G. Kar Medical College, Kolkata, was brutally murdered and allegedly raped in the seminar room of the institution. After a 36-hour duty shift, the victim finally rested in the medical institution’s seminar hall when the incident occurred. She was a young doctor, had an excellent academic career and was finally in her training phase, providing hands-on care services to patients in the hospital.
In India, people aspiring to become doctors are exposed to various challenging situations, and they spend most of their time studying their course subjects and preparing for term-end examinations. They do not have any personal life or hobbies they can entertain other than their studies. The death of the victim was not only the death of her body but all her dreams and aspirations for which she worked so hard day and night.
The brutality and barbarity of the Kolkata Rape-Murder crime signifies the death of humanity and shows the existence of people who are capable of committing inhuman crimes to this extent. Crimes against women are something very evident in India as, time and time, people have come across various incidents of rape, murder, sexual assault and whatnot. The thing that makes this case so important to consider and acknowledge is that a doctor was raped in her workplace, and to date, there is no concrete evidence of who did it. Some people suggest that multiple people committed the crime, whereas some say that it was a well-planned murder. The bigger issue is workplace safety, which led to the Kolkata Rape-Murder.
If someone is not safe in their workplace, where else can they be safe? Someone on a 36-hour duty treats their workplace as home, so the question is, why is someone unsafe in the most safe place imaginable? Why are there no proper healthcare facilities which protect doctors, rather the caregivers of the nation, from incidents such as rape and murder? Why do they have to sleep in a seminar hall? Where are their dormitories? Why are there no separate rooms and resting dormitories for female doctors? How can someone do this and get away? Will we wait for another Kolkata Rape-Murder to happen for justice?
The outrage of the common masses in response to this incident
People all across West Bengal and many other states in India have shown unity in highlighting the issue of Kolkata Rape-Murder. The reason for the increase in protest is that the Kolkata rape-murder case is something which cannot be ignored and disregarded. Both medical and non-medical staff have been involved in various public protests, displaying the severity of the situation and how women, including doctors, are not safe in this country. People of different castes, creeds, religions and other social backgrounds have come together to support the cause, which seeks justice for the victim of Kolkata Rape-Murder and justice for all women who have come across such atrocities in the past.
The themes displayed through the rallies of Kolkata Rape-Murder have questioned the reliability of medical institutions and how certain cases go unnoticed due to larger conspiracies and a lack of proper judgment. The outrage of Kolkata Rape-Murder shows how the inappropriate treatment of women in India has become intolerable and how crimes against women are justified by the opposite gender and society at large. The issue also gained global recognition as protesters emerged from other international regions. The Protestants of Kolkata Rape-Murder used slogans such as “Justice for Abhaya”, “Justice for R.G. Kar”, “Stop Rape Culture”, and so on to show that just like any other rape case, this case also holds equal significance.
Why are the protests intensifying day by day?
Even though the case of Kolkata Rape-Murder was transferred to the CBI on 13th August 2024, people are still agitated because there is no significant news about who was responsible for the crime and what took place that night at R.G. Kar Medical College. Doctors all across India, including medical professionals and critical caregivers in AIIMS (All India Institute of Medical Science), stopped providing their services in many public-owned institutions to show their protest against the unjustifiable crime, which caused issues in terms of patient safety and effective patient treatment.
Medical professionals and people from different professions and businesses came together to show their unified support for the cause and to seek actual justice for the victims of the Kolkata Rape-Murder. The protests were also based on the fact that the government-regulated medical institutions had no infrastructural development and no appropriate services for women doctors, including nurses, paramedics, trainees and other caregivers.
Almost 2.26 per cent of the union budget is allocated for developing the Indian healthcare sector. However, the infrastructural condition of these institutions shows no sign of development, which raises issues regarding the safety of interns and other medical professionals, primarily resident doctors and nurses. It was also themed on the current state of safety of medical practitioners in public-owned hospitals across India. Nurses and trainees in these institutions do not have proper and secure places to sleep and rest after long shifts.
They sleep on floors, restrooms and other patient dormitories with no facilities and actions in response to their demands for proper restrooms, bathrooms and sleeping dormitories. The protests grew stronger day by day, which forced the Supreme Court of India to intervene and take suo-moto cognisance after long delays in court proceedings in the Kolkata High Court, which could not possibly handle the more significant issue of guaranteeing women’s safety all across the nation and also within remote public institutions and rural public healthcare organisations.
15th August, 2024
Current condition of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital after mob of goons broke in and vandalised everything.
This was done to defame the protest and protestors pic.twitter.com/nOa93QIkPA
— Spitting Facts (@SoldierSaffron7) August 14, 2024The most important day for every Indian is Independence Day, when British colonial rule was overthrown, and independence from monarchial and authoritative powers was finally declared after almost 200 years. 15th August 2024 marked the 78th independence day of Bharat when the most tragic and disturbing event took place at R.G. Kar Medical College, a day before the CBI officials arrived at the crime scene. On 14th August 2024, a mass protest with the theme “Reclaim the Night” was held by medical professionals of the R.G. Kar towards the Kolkata Rape-Murder.
R.G. Kar College and other associated medical and non-medical institutions in West Bengal display a collective demand for justice for the victims of the Kolkata Rape-Murder. However, around 12:30 AM, a mob of almost 7000 people stormed the R.G. Kar Medical College, which led to large-scale vandalism of the hospital premises, where the emergency ward was destroyed, and other medical infrastructures, such as MRI machines, were broken down.
A few of them threatened residents of the Girls’ hostel and forced many people protesting to flee from the vicinity of the medical institution. The violent display of force by the mob was uncontrollable by the local police, which almost led to the destruction and vandalism of the actual crime scene on the third floor. Many were effectively screened by the Kolkata police from videos of the vandalism and arrested the next day of the incident.
The biggest protest asking for justice and women’s safety was turned into a mob protest where people all across India questioned the actual state of democracy within the nation towards the Kolkata Rape-Murder. The major attempt to stop the protest against Kolkata Rape-Murder also showed that the people of India are still not truly independent, as they were not allowed to conduct a peace rally which asked for answers and true justice for the victims of brutal murder and rape.
It also signified a similar colonial mentality where protests seeking justice for women were interrupted by brute actions and violence by authoritative, influential institutions. Such incidences prove that, despite India or Bharat being independent long back, it could not develop into a region where safety, equal rights and freedom were available for all people, including women, men, children and so on.
The real problem is that crimes like Kolkata Rape-Murder have gone unnoticed in many parts of India. Almost every woman in India now or in the past had some experience of sexual assault, where they did not face justice due to the fear of being humiliated by society and judged for their actions. The problem also showcases the prime safety of doctors as they provide necessary healthcare services to patients in need and also make efforts to provide them with physical, emotional and psychological comfort. No one can forget the contributions of doctors and medical professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic, where even family members of patients refused to come in close contact.
It was when these medical professionals risked their lives to treat severe conditions and facilitate medical authorities to effectively respond to the crisis and recover from the situation in the long run. So this nation must raise its voice and return the favour by seeking justice for the trainee doctor who is barbarically tortured, raped and murdered. This nation and its citizens have to take part to stop crimes like Kolkata Rape-Murder against women and end rape culture, which has by far claimed many lives and has made people like the victim of R.G. Kar face atrocities unfathomable.
So what now?
One must consider the notion that “justice delayed is justice denied” very seriously as it is the prime aspect that can make this country fit for progressive development. One must not fear while raising their voice and showing their support to victims of rape and murder. One must feel what the parents of the trainee doctor are going through and what they would think if god forbid, anything similar happened to someone close to them. The idea is to facilitate women’s safety and create a safe environment. It is pointless to have large-scale economic progress when almost half of the population of a nation is consistently exposed to such crimes and heinous atrocities.
FAQ
What happened in R.G. Kar Medical College?
9th August 2024 was the day when a trainee resident doctor of R.G. Kar Medical College, Kolkata, was brutally murdered and allegedly raped in the seminar room of the institution. After a 36-hour duty shift, the victim finally rested in the medical institution’s seminar hall when the incident occurred. She was a young doctor, had an excellent academic career and was finally in her training phase, providing hands-on care services to patients in the hospital.
When did the vandalism of R.G. Kar Medical College take place?
On 14th August 2024, a mass protest with the theme “Reclaim the Night” was held by medical professionals of the R.G. Kar College and other associated medical and non-medical institutions in West Bengal to display a collective demand for justice for the victim. However, around 12:30 AM, a mob of almost 7000 people stormed the R.G. Kar Medical College, which led to large-scale vandalism of the hospital premises, where the emergency ward was destroyed, and other medical infrastructures, such as MRI machines, were broken down.
What did the Supreme Court of India do about the rape-murder case of R.G Kar Medical College?
The protests grew stronger day by day, which forced the Supreme Court of India to intervene and take suo-moto cognisance after long delays in court proceedings in the Kolkata High Court, which could not possibly handle the more significant issue of guaranteeing women’s safety all across the nation and also within remote public institutions and rural public healthcare organisations.
How much of the budget is allocated by the Indian government for the development of the healthcare sector on a yearly basis?
Almost 2.26 per cent of the union budget is allocated for developing the Indian healthcare sector.
