Murder and Rape of a Female Doctor in RG Kar Medical College: Unprecedented Outcry and Protest

Saikat Giri

In the past few decades, there hasn't been a movement like this across Bengal, the entire country, or even the world. Kolkata has erupted in a massive citizens’ movement surrounding the barbaric assault, rape, and murder of a female doctor from RG Kar Medical College. This movement quickly spread outside Bengal and around the globe. The sudden rise of this mass movement sparked panic among those in power, and the entire world condemned the incident. Millions of women, along with ordinary citizens, took to the streets, proving that no matter how powerful the rulers are, they must fear the people when civil society rises up.

The RG Kar incident is quite exceptional. From the beginning, controversies surrounded the role of the hospital authorities and local administration. Later, the actions of the highest police officials and the state’s Chief Minister, who also holds the portfolios of both police and health ministries, came into question. Opposition parties vocally criticized their role. This is perhaps one of the rarest incidents globally, where such a horrific attack happened to a female doctor while she was on duty. It's reminiscent of the Nirbhaya case in Delhi years ago, but this incident penetrated the public consciousness even more deeply.

It’s important to note that this movement not only demands justice for the perpetrators of the rape and murder but also raises several critical issues. It has exposed the decaying state of our legal system, as well as the dire state of both national and state healthcare systems. Why does a junior doctor have to work inhumanely for 36 hours straight? Why, despite knowing the situation, do health department officials and authorities allow government hospitals to become hotbeds of corruption?

Why are those who protest against the system transferred, while guilty health officials continue in their posts, protected by the ruling party leaders and ministers?

We weren't accustomed to hearing such incidents before, but as civilization progresses, the dirty face of corruption is being exposed. We knew that bodies donated to morgues were used to advance medical science. However, after the RG Kar incident, a perverse and corrupt picture has emerged. Allegations have surfaced that dead bodies were used for shooting pornographic videos, there was a black market for counterfeit drugs, and millions were made through illegal transactions. Even syringes and surgical instruments from the hospital’s operating theater were sold for profit. Renowned doctors, emboldened by their political connections, are accused of taking cuts even from tenders for something as small as a tea stall within the hospital premises.

Junior doctors have repeatedly complained of harassment and intimidation when they tried to protest. It has also been alleged that MBBS and MD exam questions were leaked in exchange for bribes. Health department officials and ruling party leaders were directly involved in these corrupt activities. Never before had such widespread corruption in medical education come to light, especially among those whose duty is to save lives.

The question arises: corruption has surfaced in SSC, Primary, and other government sectors, but within government hospitals, everything from hostel allotments to duty hours and even job roles has been controlled by a syndicate. This syndicate is involved not only in hospital corruption but also in private hospitals and nursing homes, and they are closely connected to the ruling party of the state. When we raise fingers at the pitiful state of the healthcare system, we must not forget that only 2% of our country's GDP is spent on healthcare. While 95% of the population depends on government hospitals, healthcare receives the least allocation in the budget. The situation is even worse in rural hospitals—some lack adequate equipment, some don’t have enough doctors or nursing staff, and others don’t have enough medicines.

This particular incident occurred in Kolkata, a city known for its history, grandeur, and heritage. If the safety of a female doctor in the heart of Kolkata can be questioned in the middle of the night, then the safety of women across the state becomes questionable. Not only Kolkata, but the entire nation today faces concerns about women's safety. The slogans of the ruling class, such as “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao” or the state’s “Lakshmir Bhandar,” seem to be mere election strategies. The slogan “Bangla nijer meye ke chay” (Bengal wants its own daughter) rings hollow after such an incident in a hospital within the state ruled by the country’s only female Chief Minister.

After this incident, people across the state and the country had hoped that the government would take swift action and immediately identify and punish the culprits. However, strangely, from the very beginning, a section of police officers, IAS and IPS officials, and junior doctors close to the ruling party, along with the principal of RG Kar Hospital and the health department secretaries, have been seen trying to cover up their misdeeds. Strangely, the room where the gruesome crime took place was reopened, changes were made to the room, tiles were reportedly removed, the area was repeatedly washed, and even the spot where the doctor’s body was found was altered, along with the equipment.

As soon as the allegations surfaced, a civic volunteer was first blamed. The question arises: how is it possible for a single civic volunteer to commit such a heinous crime alone? The injuries found on the victim’s body were so horrific that they sent shivers down our spines. The severity of this incident reached a point where, on the night of August 14th, while the entire country was busy celebrating Independence Day, millions of people across West Bengal took to the streets with a single demand: “We want justice” and “Justice for RG Kar.”

Beyond the poor state of the healthcare system, this incident also highlighted the inhuman work conditions and mental abuse faced by junior doctors, long-standing corruption, and the syndicate’s control over the system. It has also brought to light the fact that, despite societal advancements, a section of society still views women as objects of consumption. Those involved in this incident, those who tried to cover it up, and those accused of tampering with evidence are all established figures in society, which points to a more terrifying future.

One after another, incidents like these are coming to light. In Madhya Pradesh, a soldier was out with his girlfriend when she was assaulted right in front of him. In Kolkata, another incident has already created a stir, where the wife of an IPS officer was subjected to hours of sexual abuse, and she was told, "We all belong to Trinamool, and if you complain against us, we will destroy your family." This has shocked us—where are these criminals getting such arrogance and impunity?

From Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras and Unnao to Manipur, Madhya Pradesh, and Kolkata's RG Kar, none of these are isolated incidents. They all highlight the ongoing violence against women in society, one after another, pointing out that in each case, the perpetrators are connected to the ruling party and are emboldened by its protection. The criminals have come to believe that this is their government, and they can do whatever they want. As a result, these miscreants roam openly with confidence, while the police and administration remain silent.

An unusual behavior is observed from the state government, where it issues a notice that is later overturned by a Supreme Court bench, which also reprimands the state government. After this incident, the state government announces a circular restricting women from working night shifts or reducing their working hours at night, leading to massive protests and movements within civil society. A section of junior doctors staged a sit-in protest in front of Swasthya Bhavan, demanding that the issue of corruption is directly linked to the rape and murder. They believe that this corruption is being covered up, and the lady doctor was mentally harassed as part of this cover-up, leading to her tragic end—a clear case of rape, murder, and an attempt to suppress evidence. It is widely believed by civil society that this entire incident was orchestrated to shield the corruption.

The junior doctors demanded the removal of several officials, including the police commissioner, Health Secretory, and Joint CP, but the state government has not yet fulfilled these demands. The safety of the junior doctors, which is the government's primary responsibility, was notably addressed by the Supreme Court, which suggested the deployment of CRPF for their protection. Despite this, continuous attacks on junior doctors at various hospitals persist, and their protest movements have been criticized. One by one, members of the ruling Trinamool Congress have politicized the issue and threatened the junior doctors.

Both the central and state governments are promoting corruption on a large scale, encouraging privatization, and issuing licenses, trying to withdraw from health and education sectors. After the RG Kar incident, massive protests erupted, especially regarding corruption in the health and education sectors. For the first time, protests are taking shape, with Kolkata, known as a city of marches, witnessing one of the rarest movements since the freedom struggle — a mass awakening, an uprising of people's protest, where millions have taken to the streets. It is a clear indication to those in power who seek to focus on vote-bank politics or populist politics.

The primary slogan, “Shashak tomar kiser bhoy, dhorshok tomar ke hoy” (Ruler, what are you afraid of, who is the rapist to you?), has been loudly raised by civil society on the streets. People have overcome the fear of the police, administration, and the ruling party’s thugs to protest. We must not forget that, overall, the leftists had a great opportunity during this wave of protests — they could have led this movement. However, despite the movement's overall leftist tone and its slogans and thought process being aligned with leftist ideology, the people are rejecting the traditional left political parties that exist in India. They are not giving them space or support. This raises a question in people's minds.

Even the leaders of the leftist parties need to think about why, despite such massive protests and movements, people are not trusting them. While people are uniting against the failures of right-wing parties, the naked face of capitalism, and the privatization of sectors like education and healthcare where citizens directly benefit, they are showing trust in leftist ideology but no trust in the leadership or members of the leftist parties.

The movement demanding justice for the rape and murder of the lady doctor from RG Kar has extended beyond the borders of Bengal and India, taking on a global scale. This movement has created history — a history that brings hope, envisions the future, and reminds us again that we need to fight, fight, and fight; to live, we must fight. This movement's leftist character proves that people still trust leftist ideology. The future lies in leftism. However, the current leftist party leadership has failed to earn the people's trust. Instead of organizing people’s grievances, they are more focused on organizing their opportunistic positions in parliamentary vote politics. Rather than engaging with civil society, they remain entangled in organizational committees.

As a result, while the leadership may not have been accepted by the people in this mass movement, the influence of leftist ideology on the movement's spirit is evident. Therefore, from the elements of this ongoing protest movement, there is a possibility that a new leftist movement could emerge in the future. Like in Sri Lanka, this could lay the groundwork for societal and governmental change in our country as well. For now, it is important for all of us, in the interest of future generations, to preserve the essence of this social mass movement, which could one day gift us a socialist state system.