Kolkata rape-murder: RG Kar Hospital crime is a symptom of India’s collective shame

It has been 20 days since a man allegedly raped and murdered a 31-year-old postgraduate trainee doctor in the seminar hall of the RG Kar Hospital in India’s Kolkata.

Since then, the capital city of West Bengal and the rest of the country have witnessed protests and outrage hitherto unseen since the days of the Nirbhaya murder case, 12 years ago in the national capital, Delhi. It is as if the nation has been awakened after one of its doctors was brutalised by Sanjay Roy, the main accused in the case that continues to get murkier every day.

Even though our feeds, newspapers, and television screens are full of protest visuals with people screaming for accountability, there have been multiple other sexual violence incidents against women historically from the ‘disadvantaged’ groups since August 9.

A man allegedly sexually abused two four-year-olds at a private school in Maharashtra’s Badlapur. In another incident aman allegedly raped a friend’s three-year-old daughter in Valsad. While ashopkeeper from North India’s Meerut was arrested for allegedly raping six young boys.

We are all familiar with the hush-hush stories of sexual violence in our families and communities. Most stories never see the light of day.

The cases are countless, and the list from just the last few days is enough to overwhelm all of us.

It appears that we have learnt nothing after decades of sexual violence and brutality running rampant. Even the Indian President, Droupadi Murmu, has said ‘Enough is enough’ and asked society to stop the horrors.

But when we don’t listen to our conscience, will we listen to our president?

The case so far

August 9: The victim’s body is found inside the seminar hall of the RG Kar Hospital in Kolkata. After initially telling the victim’s parents of an ‘alleged suicide,’ the police register an FIR (First Information Report).

August 10: Sanjay Roy, the prime accused, is arrested in connection with allegedly raping and murdering the trainee doctor after a ‘prolonged examination and confession of guilt.’ Protests erupt over the administration’s response to the case after reports of a cover-up quickly spread.

August 11: The superintendent of the hospital is suspended over alleged discrepancies in the handling of the case.

August 14: The Central Bureau of Investigation, or CBI, takes up the matter, and West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee announces a protest march.

August 15: An unidentified mob attacks and vandalisesthe RG Kar Hospital.

August 17: Doctors demand a nationwide strike and suspension of services in protest of the rape and the ensuing violence.

August 20: The Supreme Court takes up suo-moto cognisance of the matter.

August 22: The apex court reprimands Kolkata Police over alleged delay in the handling of the case.

Same old script

The days following the RG Kar Hospital incident saw the same old script play out. It is familiar to every woman in the country and, frankly, the world.

‘Why did she go out at this hour?’

‘Why was she wearing short clothes?’

‘Girls should be careful too.’

The onus of sexual violence is not on its victim but is symptomatic of a greater disease pervading society. One which objectifies the woman and sees her as a means to the patriarchal end, i.e., the man’s sexual release, consent be damned!

Not safe even after death

In a shocking turn of events, the Kolkata rape and murder victim was not left in peace even after her brutal death. Her name is trending widely on social media, often by people demanding justice. But in a far more sinister turn of events, her name became the top search trend on various pornography websites. The victim’s morphed images were quick to be circulated in chatrooms frequented by men, with many commenting on her physicality. As if this was not sickening enough, the men of India proceeded to slut-shame not just the victim but compare her to their partners.

This is beyond horrifying.

Consider this: a man allegedly rapes a woman, brutally murders her, dumps her body to be found later, shows no apparent remorse for his acts, and instead of outrage, his fellow men are laughing off the incident and proceeding to look for pornography related to the incident.

It is no longer about our “mothers, sisters, and daughters.” As a colleague aptly noted a quote from Bachi Karkaria’s column in the Times of India, 'women are just women, not male appendages.'

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Women are not for men to control, manipulate, judge, or admonish. Because if they start judging men, there would not be enough space in the world to hide this gender’s collective shame.

Victim-centric language

The language we speak, write, and in turn, imbibe is important. Almost all media reports on the Kolkata case have pointed out how a “31-year-old woman was raped and murdered” or how the “victim was brutalised.”

The onus is always on the victim, in this case a woman, not the accused.

If we talk about how a man brutally raped and murdered a woman in Kolkata’ or how ‘the accused brutalised the victim’ we will be easing the pressure off women to prove their assault and place it on the accused, as it should be.

If we were all a little more empathetic about how we talk about sexual violence, maybe it would not have taken so long for Malayalam cinema’s #MeToo movement to kickstart.

Demand for collective action

The call for stricter rape laws in the country has been an old one. Much before West Bengal’s ruling Trinamool Congress demanded stricter rape laws and conviction rates in the country, activists have been demanding harsher laws against sexual perpetrators and quick dispensation of justice.

The repeated and long-drawn procedure of a rape trial is often taxing on both the survivor and their family, fuelling suspicion and a greater possibility of the court of public opinion to step in. The honourable courts’ wisdom must prevail regardless of public sentiment.

Time to act has passed

The time to act against sexual violence has passed long ago in India. It has now become the status quo. It is considered a default that women must protect themselves from men and that men will continue to assault them. A woman living in practically any part of the country is no longer safe, let alone other gender and sexual minorities. Women, men, children, and even animals are being raped with their autonomy brutally snatched by both the perpetrators and the court of public opinion.

We as a society have missed the bus of gender equality so long ago that all women can do now is walk down the never-ending road to apparent justice, all alone.

But wait, women cannot be ‘allowed’ to walk alone, right? What if they ‘tempt’ men into becoming monsters?

Disclaimer: The writer's views do not represent those of WION or ZMCL. Nor does WION or ZMCL endorse the views of the writer.