What are we independent of?
Updated On: 16 August, 2024 06:52 AM IST | Mumbai | Rosalyn D`mello
Indian women ought to be able to go about their lives without the fear of being molested, raped and/or killed. The murder in Kolkata exposes how in these 78 years, true justice has eluded us
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Medical professionals and activists during a protest to condemn the rape and murder of a young doctor in Kolkata on the eve of Independence Day celebrations. Pic/AFP
Outrage. It’s the only word that comes to mind at this moment in time. I already see how the gruesome murder of a 31-year-old trainee doctor in Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital will get scripted in the future as the plot of a true crime series, joining the ranks of innumerable such episodes centred around the sexual assault and murder of women. Such is the level of normalcy when it comes to femicide, it is a movie genre.
It makes me furious to read about the various levels of mismanagement and the tampering of evidence and I can’t help but think that when it comes to any form of police procedural, India is a thug state. While I celebrate the protests by the medical community, I feel wary that the cruel circumstances of this woman’s death are being erased to enable a larger discourse around work safety, which is urgent and necessary, but perhaps not at the expense of this specific case. I am already afraid that our rage and protests might be one-tone. I’ve seen numerous posters asking for the death penalty for rapists, which is not only ineffective, but also a waste of time in terms of advocacy. Instead, we should be asking for better working conditions, for more accountability from hospital management systems, from institutions, particularly if they are government bodies or institutes of learning. We should also simultaneously advocate for better environments so that people are not forced to be cramped in hospital rooms. We deserve better.
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