Doctor Case in Kolkata: We are so accustomed to gender-based violence as a country that it took the violent rape and death of a young trainee doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College to spark public outrage. If the misery on the streets was revealed by the Nirbhaya case in 2012, then the incident in Kolkata last week made clear how unsafe the workplace is for women. Over the years, a number of situations that have garnered media attention and prompted people to seek justice have escalated into larger catastrophes due to a lack of prompt action, cover-ups, and the police and municipal administrations’ defense of the accused.
The country has become so habituated to gender-based violence that public anger was sparked by the horrific rape and death of a young trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College in Kolkata. If the Nirbhaya case in 2012 exposed the suffering on the streets, then last week’s tragedy in Kolkata demonstrated just how dangerous the workplace is for women. As a result of cover-ups, a lack of swift action, and the police and local administrations’ defense of the accused, several incidents that have attracted media attention and inspired people to seek justice have grown into more serious disasters over time.
Doctor Case in Kolkata: Latest Update
The Kolkata incident is replete with institutional failure, from the hospital administration’s attempt to mislead the victim’s family to the police investigation’s sluggish progress, which led the high court to move the matter to the Central Bureau of Investigation. It is a bad reflection on chief minister Mamata Banerjee, whose Trinamool Congress has received praise for its programs aimed at empowering women and boasts a healthy representation of female MPs. The decline in public confidence in the police has been attributed by Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal on a “malicious media campaign.”
Kolkata’s Government Response to the situation
While it can be challenging for the average person to sort through the false information when rumors spread widely on social media, it is also true that inefficiency and occasionally complicity are the main causes of people’s lack of faith in public institutions. Unfortunately, there is widespread systemic decay in India, particularly in the area of police politicization. Therefore, the only way to free law enforcement from the constraints of following orders from their political overlords is through long overdue police reforms.
To demand safety within hospitals and campuses and to raise awareness of the risks faced by doctors, particularly women, the medical fraternity has organized statewide strikes. Hospitals should establish safe zones as requested, and the Center should abide by the promises given to doctors by Health Minister JP Nadda, including the introduction of legislation to prevent attacks on them. While employment statistics indicate that gender gaps are closing in India, dangerous workplaces pose a threat to these gains and discourage women from pursuing careers of their choice. India now has one of the lowest rates of female labor force participation worldwide.
