Protests across Gautam Budh Nagar over doctor’s rape-murder in Kolkata college

Scores of protesters on the eve of Independence Day, mostly women, took to the streets in Noida and Greater Noida on the intervening night of August 14 and 15

“Bengal was considered a safe haven for women but this case is beyond shameful...as a Bengali I am ashamed,” said Sonali Biswas, who was protesting on Thursday against the rape and murder of a doctor at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.

Members of the Noida Bengali Cultural Association (NBCA) hold a candle light protest at Noida Kali Bari Sector 26 on the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday. (Sunil Ghosh/HT Photo)

Scores of protesters on the eve of Independence Day, mostly women, took to the streets in Noida and Greater Noida on the intervening night of August 14 and 15 to protest against the crime. Biswas was among the protesters and members of the Noida Bengali Cultural Association (NBCA) who held a candle light march at the Noida Sector 26 Kali Bari and demanded accountability from the West Bengal government.

“I condemn the actions and statements of the former principal of RG Kar and demand the death sentence for the perpetrators...but the way the matter was declared that it was a suicide and the way her parents were harassed is beyond speechless. This crime is a message to all the girls to stand up and fight for themselves,” said Biswas.

Initially the Kolkata Police told the victim’s parents that she had died by suicide. The principal of the college, Dr Sandip Ghosh, initially attempted to dismiss the case as a suicide, saying that “it was irresponsible of the girl to go to the seminar hall alone at night”. Subsequently Ghosh resigned from the post of principal following public outrage but was soon transferred to the city’s National Medical College as a principal. On Tuesday, the Calcutta high court mandated a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe and on Wednesday, a 25-member CBI team, accompanied by a specialised medical and forensic team from Delhi arrived in Kolkata to take over the investigation.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his Independence Day speech at the Red Fort, called for strict punishment for those who execute such acts and said that state governments need to take crimes against women seriously and instil the fear of punishment in criminals.

“The incident that happened in the RG Kar Medical College is shocking and the way the victim’s body was maligned and sent home saying that she had claimed her own life is appalling. How did the principal make such derogatory statements about the woman and was then gifted a transfer to the Calcutta medical college. Imagine the amount of money spent behind a NEET student for all her education and then it leads to this,” said Krishna Deb, another protestor at the Kali Bari protest.

“This protest is to find out answers and to reveal the real culprits of the crime who are being safeguarded by the West Bengal administration. Kolkata is considered one of the safest place for living and doctors are considered among the elite class of the society but this case has forced us to think differently. We just want the old Kolkata back,” said Soumyadip Sarkar, organiser of a protest at Gaur City 1.

“Women are not safe anywhere and are humiliated on a regular basis in one way or the other and if this is was really false then the RG Kar case would not have emerged. A safe zone needs to be created for women. A doctor is like an angel for us and then after her 36 hour shift she had no place to rest and then when she goes to the seminar room this happens to her,” Sagarika Chakroborty another protestor at the Gaur city protest raised.

“Why was there no proper restroom for the female staff? Why was she forced to sleep in the seminar room...RG Kar is a government college right? Then why could the government not strive towards empowering the safety of the women. The government needs to give answers,” she added.

“This incident has proved that neither men nor women are safe in this country. It has come to the fore that the victim had got to know some dark truths of the hospital and she had committed only one mistake...she could not write this on social media and reveal the truth,” another protestor Ananya Sil said. She added that the most depressing thing about this protest was that “it had turned political.”

“…after a 36 hour shift she was subjected to this so anyone doing politics over it must be reprimanded. People in India are depressed because of their NEET results and then after scoring so high marks to get into a prestigious medical college like RG Kar she has to face this. We (women) have been defeated,” Sil said.

The National Medical Commission (NMC), under the direction of Union Health Minister JP Nadda, has issued an advisory to all medical colleges and institutions to develop policies ensuring a safe work environment.

“The policy should ensure adequate safety measures at OPD, wards, casualty, hostels, and other open areas in the campus and residential quarters. Corridors and campus be well-lit in the evening for staff to walk safely from one place to another and all sensitive areas be covered by CCTV for monitoring,” an official public notice read.

Meanwhile, Congress leader Supriya Shrinate criticised the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress and asked why the local administration allegedly attempted to cover up the crime. West Bengal governor CV Ananda Bose on Thursday visited the hospital and spoke to the protesting doctors there.