India Insights: How The Kolkata Rape And Murder Tragedy Fuelled India’s Fight For Justice
Porshi
On August 9th, 2024, India woke up to horrific news coming out of its eastern state of West Bengal. A second-year postgraduate medical student at R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata was found dead under unnatural circumstances. It was reported by various Indian media outlets that the 31-year-old trainee doctor was sleeping in the Hospital’s seminar hall after a night shift; however, her half-naked and severely injured dead body was found the next morning by a colleague.
As the news of this tragic incident broke out, outrage followed worldwide, bringing close attention to India’s mistreatment of medical professionals, lack of infrastructure, and issues with women’s safety. Doctor’s protests erupted across the country, and millions of Indian doctors took part in a 24-hour strike on 17th August. The Indian Medical Association (IMA) wrote to the Health and Family Welfare Ministry, highlighting the lack of proper infrastructure and safety measures for medical professionals in India. The letter also requested the Ministry to look into the safety of women doctors.
Even though this is the first time doctor’s safety is at the forefront of discussions in India, it is not the first time women’s safety has become a hot topic. Hence, The “Reclaim the Night” movement was launched across the country, where women took to the streets protesting at night to call for better safety measures to be implemented. The slogan “Reclaim the Night” signifies women’s right to be able to walk freely on the streets of the country, even at night time, without being scared of a threat to their safety.
The Controversial Investigation
The crime scene investigation and forensic reports revealed to the media indicated that the victim was brutally raped and murdered. The semen samples collected from the victim's body also confirmed the sexual abuse allegations posed by her parents. However, since the investigation began, the doctors at R.G. Kar Hospital and the public have implied that there are serious flaws in the police’s investigations.
Dr. Tapas Pramanik, a doctor at the R.G. Kar Hospital, spoke to The Times of India, expressing his discontent with the Central Bureau of Investigation’s (CBI) investigation. The doctor alleged the involvement of multiple culprits in the case, which, according to him, the CBI has overlooked.
The case also now ignited a political standoff between the opposing political parties that rule the West Bengal state where the incident took place and the Central Government in Delhi. On 21st January this year, The Hindu reported that Amit Malaviya, the Head of the Bharatiya Janata Party, accused the Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee of “collusion” with the authorities of the R.G. Kar Hospital to “cover-up” the rape and murder of the trainee doctor last year.
These allegations have led to public mistrust in law enforcement and questions about the judicial systems in India. After its investigation, the CBI named Sanjoy Roy, a 35-year-old civic volunteer, the culprit. Last month, the local court in Sealdah found the accused guilty of the rape and murder charges and sentenced him to life imprisonment. The Kolkata High Court, almost a week later, said that the victim’s parents do not seek the death penalty for Sanjoy Roy, while the CBI is seeking the death sentence in the case.
As the details of this ongoing case continue to make headlines, mistrust in the investigation continues to spark debate among the general public.
Reclaim The Night Movement And Its Aftermath
The young doctor’s death under such gruesome circumstances has struck a chord with the public, bringing to light the issues with women’s safety in India. Protestors have taken to the streets to address the problems regarding women’s safety, and the Reclaim the Night Movement organizers have said that this incident was an awakening call for women and amplified the need to keep fighting for justice in this case.
However, according to The Hindu, the comments made by R.G. Kar College’s ex-principal Sandip Ghosh worked as a catalyst to drive thousands of women into starting this movement in India. Sandip Ghosh had earlier spoken to the Indian media and stated that it was irresponsible of the victim to have been alone at night. This statement fuelled outrage against victim-blaming and the patriarchal notion that women need a chaperone to go anywhere at night time.
Since the start of the movement, the protests have spread from beyond India, and marches were organized in London, Munich, Atlanta, and other cities around the world, making it a global call for justice and stricter legislation to ensure women’s safety.
Have There Been Any Policy Changes Since?
In August last year, after the incident took place, the Supreme Court of India set up a National Task Force (NFT) to examine the issues concerning the safety of doctors and healthcare professionals in the country, especially relating to gender-based violence in the workplace for doctors. However, according to the NFT’s initial findings, it concluded that a separate law for violence against healthcare workers was unnecessary, citing that the current state laws were sufficient.
However, the doctor's strikes, along with protests seeking justice regarding the incident, prompted immediate actions by the government to bolster security in state-run hospitals across India. The central government has also announced a 25% increase in security personnel and the deployment of marshals to manage extreme situations in these facilities.
While these measures take a step towards making hospitals and workplaces safer for healthcare professionals, they also exemplify that there is a need for better legislation for the protection of doctors.
The Federation of Resident Doctors Association India (FORDA) in a statement posted on X, formerly Twitter, said, “This heartbreaking incident starkly highlights the glaring deficiencies in security within our medical institutions across the nation.”
What Does This Case Reveal?
This tragic incident and the mass outrage that ensued have shown the protestors’ demand for a safer country not only for its women but also for its doctors, who heal the sick. This, however, is not the first time that a rape and murder case has shaken the country’s core. The 2012 Delhi gang rape and murder case initially prompted a series of legislative changes for women’s safety. Still, the cases of violence against women have not stopped making headlines in newspapers.
Now, the question is - Has India done enough to tackle its growing concerns over women’s safety and the safety of its healthcare workers?
