A working woman on the night shift was raped and murdered at work.
This tragedy is getting sidelined by the vandalism at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, politics, blame game, misinformation and social media furore, said several Calcuttans who have been part of the protests that the brutality triggered.
The probe — taken away from Kolkata police and assigned to the CBI by Calcutta High Court on August 13 — has so far led to one arrest, more than a week ago. Several others are being questioned.
“There is a concerted bid to distract attention from the real issue. It is turning into a political slugfest, a battle of colours. People are forgetting that a crime like this cannot be confined to a political colour,” said Sumana Bagchi, a psychologist who attended the “Reclaim the Night” march at Jadavpur on the eve of Independence Day.
For many like Anirudha Bhattacharjee, 60, an IIT-ian techie and twice National Award-winning author, the night vigil “united a lot of people, irrespective of political hue, and has ensured that people are talking”.
“As citizens, we tried to show solidarity with the family and send them the message that we are all with you,” Bhattacharjee, who had walked from Sugam Park to Mahamaya Tala near Garia, said.
Paramita Chowdhury, a social worker, was at RG Kar on Saturday evening, standing by the protesting doctors. She was among many women who were at the hospital in
solidarity.
Chowdhury pointed to the initial Sunday deadline that chief minister Mamata Banerjee had set for the police to crack the case. “The probe is now in the hands of the CBI but it is fair to assume that the case will not be cracked by Sunday. So, the first deadline will be missed,” said Chowdhury.
She also felt that the RG Kar brutality is inseparable from the larger issue of women’s safety at the workplace. “But I don’t see as many slogans asking for CCTV cameras as those demanding the chief minister’s resignation. I had expected more slogans on safety alongside those seeking justice,” she said.
Monica G, a second-year postdoctoral trainee taking part in the cease-work call given by protesting doctors, said she did not see “any concrete steps to beef up the safety at government hospitals after the incident”.
A Golf Green resident who was part of the protests on Wednesday night said one thing propped up after another and diverted attention from the human tragedy.
“An alleged cover-up bid, the rampage, a barrage of misinformation, the ruling party’s counter-campaign, everything seems a bid to divert attention and headlines,” said the woman, who requested not to be named because she is an employee of the state government.
The Trinamool Congress has launched a state-wide campaign at the grassroots with two main demands — “the case should be cracked by Sunday and capital punishment for the perpetrator(s)”.
The protests are expected to scale up, party sources said.
Sreya Dutta, who had come to the Academy of Fine Arts from Hazra on August 14, said more arrests could bring the real issue back into focus.
“Apart from the arrest of one and interrogation of some more, the investigation has not made any headway. There is a definite danger of the main issue getting sidelined,” she said.
“It has become a political mess and it seems everyone has a political agenda that they are trying to address through this incident,” said Dutt, who works with a multinational.
She also said in the same breath that the night vigil gave a “much-needed push” to the movement.
“The push was needed for the administration to understand that the people are not merely waiting and watching,” said Dutt.
Bitikha Ghosh, who had come to participate in the Reclaim the Night movement in Baguiati, said that the real issue has “not been sidelined yet but there is a danger that it might soon be”.
“Till now, people are talking about the incident, whether it is in the bus or the Metro,” said Ghosh.
“People are angry and scared and they are protesting for themselves too, because they know that if it can be a doctor at her workplace on one day it can be them on any other day if there is no action taken,” she said.
There is a consensus that what happened at RG Kar was a violation of the highest order, said Upal Chakrabarty, assistant professor of sociology at Presidency University.
“There are different kinds of workplaces. There are different levels of safety regulations and threats. This is a violation of the highest order. It is happening inside one of the leading medical colleges in the city. If this can happen at RG Kar, then everyone is vulnerable,” said Chakraborty.