Editor,
It seems that the Kolkata Hospital rape and murder case has taken an ugly turn. Protests and outrage continue to escalate, with the police force using all resources at their command to stem these protests. From the medical fraternity and film stars to academicians, students, scholars, lawyers, and political leaders, people from all walks of life have voiced their condemnation, particularly against the inaction of the police department. It is unthinkable that the police have allegedly cooperated in “destroying or tampering” with the evidence. There is a big WHY here.
Yes, the public is not just angry—they’re fed up with the West Bengal Government and its peculiar tendencies in handling this despicable crime. The blame has been squarely placed on the police and administrative machinery, accused of turning a blind eye to the “unethical activities” brewing at RG Kar Medical College for years. Hospital staff and interns have also come forward to expose the deep-rooted corruption within the institution. Many have described the principal, Sudip Ghose, as corrupt to the core, with direct ties to the TMC. Allegations further suggest that he was allegedly involved in the grotesque trade of selling body parts from deceased patients to third parties. What’s even more appalling is that a group of high-profile lawyers in the Supreme Court, led by former Minister Kapil Sibal, is allegedly determined to exonerate the Bengal government. Their shameless “giggling” at the plight of the victim and her grieving family, while seemingly shifting the blame onto those demanding justice, is utterly disgraceful and inhuman. It only goes to show how low some will stoop for money and power.
Isn’t it a heinous crime to attempt to shield the culprits or remain silent? And yet, the lips of most INDI alliance leaders remain sealed. Is their integrity not questionable? If their own daughters or sisters were the victims, would they still remain silent?
The public demand for justice is growing stronger. People are now insistent that those responsible for this crime must face the harshest punishment, with many calling for a “public hanging”. A senior doctor from Kolkata, a father of two daughters, put it bluntly: “Every authority involved should be held accountable for turning the West Bengal police force into nothing more than a lifeless log against the crimes.”
Many who have spoken out for justice and women’s safety, and dared to criticize the administrative machinery’s inaction, have been served with legal notices. They include a few TMC members and journalists. If that’s not the murder of democracy, then what is? Isn’t it unconstitutional and downright immoral to silence citizens who speak out against crime and the unethical activities of government institutions? In a shocking display of anger, Bengal’s Chief Minister thundered two days ago: “If Bengal burns, Assam, the North-East, Odisha, and Delhi will also burn.” How can a public leader use such inflammatory language that offends the sentiments of the masses and risks the integrity of the nation? Winning an election should never be a free pass to dictate the country on whims and impulses! It’s time we consider amending the Constitution to ensure that leaders are held accountable not just for their actions but for their words as well.
Incidentally, consider the horrific case in Garo Hills, where a stepfather raped his two stepdaughters, and the mother didn’t even bother to report it to the police. This Wednesday in Bareilly, a 13-year-old girl was ganged raped who self-immolated the next day. The media is rife with increasing rape cases, which only send chills down our spines.
Given the rise in sadistic rapes and murders like these, it’s high time we enacted strong laws that immediately disqualify leaders and severely punish anyone who dares to seize the power of the police and enforcement agencies when heinous crimes are committed. Without the fear of strong law enforcement, criminality will only tear apart the very fabric of society, leading to social decay. And let’s not forget, we really don’t need another episode where leaders and citizens are proudly garlanding rapists, as we so shockingly witnessed in the Bilkis Bano case. Kudos to the media for pressuring the court and government to send the perpetrators back to prison.
Yours etc.,
Salil Gewali,
Shillong
Patients at receiving end
Editor,
On the rape and murder case of the trainee doctor at the R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, the Supreme Court, while passing directions to the CBI and the State of West Bengal, only appealed to the striking doctors to resume work. But it cut no ice. On August 22, the apex court again nudged the striking doctors to resume work for the sake of the patients. But the strike continues.
We all know that hospital beds are much less in India in comparison to the number of patients. But when it comes to beds in government hospitals, the only place where poor people can get treatment, the ratio is more unfavourable for patients. A health department official in West Bengal has said that senior doctors are working overtime but that is far from enough to meet the shortage resulting from the cease-work of junior doctors who are the backbone of patient care at medical colleges.
As there were not sufficient doctors, patients were being denied treatment at the medical college and hospitals in Kolkata. Even planned surgeries had to be cancelled. I fail to understand why innocent patients are made to suffer to the extreme. The pictures of untreated patients in pain have raised many questions. Why should they bear the brunt of the strike? What is their fault?
Reports of the agonies of patients and their family members are pouring in. An eight-year-old girl from Minakha in North 24 Parganas was scheduled to undergo surgery for removal of a brain tumour on August 12. The surgery was cancelled. Sitting on the pavement of the National Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, her mother told a reporter, “We had arranged blood for the surgery. My daughter’s condition is worsening by the day but the doctors are not giving any fresh date for the operation.” Now, who will be responsible if something untoward happens to her due to this prolonged delay?
Sudip Chandra Barman, a blood cancer patient and his wife Shyamoli Barman came from Cooch Behar district to Kolkata for treatment. But he was kept waiting on a stretcher outside the emergency ward of NRS Medical College and Hospital.
His wife said, “My husband was admitted to a private hospital on Friday. Since we could not afford the treatment there, we brought him here. We were hoping that we could get him admitted to NRS, but the staff here said that was not possible. They told us to consult a doctor in the OPD on Monday. But since the strike is on, I am not sure whether my husband will be admitted on Monday.”
It is a shame that they had to return to Cooch Behar on Sunday as Shyamoli Barman said that she had no clue how to continue her husband’s treatment. Are the poor patients simply pawns in the tussle?
The Bengal government’s health secretary said that the absence of junior doctors was affecting especially specialised treatments such as cancer care, neurological, and cardiological care in the government medical colleges. The magnitude of the sufferings of poor patients could be understood if we judge this along with the fact that in the government healthcare sector, only medical colleges offer such treatments.
The doctors can continue their protests even after resuming work. The Supreme Court says that no coercive action shall be taken against the doctors as long as the protests are peaceful. Given that patients are made to suffer from violence within, the cease-work by the junior doctors can no longer be termed as peaceful.
How can there be peace when the patients are forced to die a violent death by denying them adequate treatment and care?
Yours etc.,
Sujit De,
Kolkata