In a strong and emotional response to the horrific rape and murder of a young doctor in Kolkata, President Droupadi Murmu has expressed her deep anguish, calling for immediate and decisive action against the rising tide of crimes against women in India. The President’s remarks come in the wake of nationwide protests sparked by the gruesome incident, which has once again brought the issue of women’s safety to the forefront of national discourse.
The tragic incident occurred on August 9, 2024, when a postgraduate trainee doctor was allegedly raped and murdered in the seminar hall of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. The victim had gone to rest during her night shift when she was attacked, leading to widespread outrage and protests by doctors and citizens across the country. The Kolkata Police have arrested Sanjoy Roy, a civic volunteer, in connection with the crime.
Breaking her silence on the incident, President Murmu, declared “enough is enough” and condemned the repeated occurrences of such heinous crimes. “I am dismayed and horrified at what has happened. No civilized society can allow daughters and sisters to be subjected to such atrocities,” she said. The President’s words reflect the anger and frustration felt by many across the nation, as the issue of women’s safety continues to be a pressing concern.
President Murmu emphasised the need for society to engage in “honest and unbiased self-introspection” to address the root causes of such violence. She questioned, “Where have we erred? And what can we do to remove the errors? Without finding out the answer to that question, half of our population cannot live as freely as the other half.”
Referring to the ongoing protests in Kolkata and other parts of the country, the President expressed dismay that despite public outcry, crimes against women continue unabated. “Even as students, doctors, and citizens were protesting in Kolkata, criminals remained on the prowl elsewhere,” she remarked, highlighting the pervasive nature of the issue.
In her poignant reflection, President Murmu drew parallels with the infamous Nirbhaya case, which shook the nation in 2012 and led to significant legal reforms. However, she lamented that despite the public’s outrage at the time, countless rapes since then have been forgotten, buried in what she described as a “collective amnesia” that plagues society. “In the 12 years since Nirbhaya, countless rapes have been forgotten by society… this ‘collective amnesia’ is obnoxious,” she stated.
The President urged that society must honour the memory of the victims by fostering a culture that remembers these atrocities, thereby reminding the nation of its past failures and preparing it to be more vigilant in the future. She called for a comprehensive approach to dealing with what she termed as a “deplorable mindset” that sees women as lesser beings. “This mindset sees the female as a lesser human being, less powerful, less capable, less intelligent,” she wrote in her hard-hitting article titled “Women’s Safety: Enough is Enough.”
President Murmu concluded with a clarion call for action, stressing that the time for change is now. “Let us deal with this perversion in a comprehensive manner so as to curb it right at the beginning,” she urged, emphasising the need for societal reform and unwavering commitment to protecting the rights and dignity of women.
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