R.G. Kar hospital rape-murder case: voices of disquiet as systemic issues vie with justice at Kolkata stir

Gauri Seth, a resident doctor, on the sidelines of a protest. 
| Photo Credit: REUTERSRY

The rape and murder of a 31-year-old female trainee doctor at R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital (RGKMCH) has, for the past 40 days, incited protests from doctors and several other sections of society, all of whom have been staunch in their demand for justice. But while the protests are primarily over women’s safety, it is male doctors who have ended up taking centre stage, say some female doctors.

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Many of them cite that on September 16, when a delegation of 42 doctors met Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at her residence to present their demands, the number of female doctors was in single digits, remaining underrepresented even in the midst of a movement stemming from the rape and murder of one of their own.

“Men are hogging the limelight, and the movement has become more about the rot in the medical system than women’s safety,” said Gauri Seth, a resident doctor from Medical College, Kolkata.

Expressing bafflement at the fact that even protest sites are not inclusive enough, Ms. Seth added: “One of the narratives is that Abhaya [the symbolic name given to the victim] died because she raised her voice against injustice. But now, men are taking away our voices and leading the movement. They have been playing saviour since Day 1, and we don’t need them protecting us from other men.”

Echoing Ms. Seth’s disappointment, a female MBBS graduate at city medical college told The Hindu that male doctors “with saviour complexes” have occupied the frontlines of the protests as well as leadership positions in Resident Doctors’ Associations across Kolkata. “We just need the men to listen and let us express what makes us feel unsafe in our workplace, as well as what we need as solutions,” she said.

“Nurses and female hospital workers face even more violence than the average female doctor, but they aren’t mentioned anywhere in the ongoing discourse,” added Radhikaa Sharma, a postgraduate trainee doctor.

Rape as a tool

Kavita Krishnan, a female rights activist, said the feminist purpose that initially fuelled the protest is now struggling to stay relevant amid other narratives. “What happened to the victim happened to her because she was a woman, not because she was a doctor. That is something that needs to be kept in mind,” she said.

Satabdi Das, a gender rights activist and convener of the ‘Reclaim the Night, Reclaim the Rights’ movement which facilitated the participation of feminist and queer activists in the protests, noted that many protesters no longer view the rape and murder of the doctor as a gender crime due to the larger political nexus allegedly behind the incident.

“Many believe that if a man had stood up to the political nexus, the same would have happened to him. However, rape is a tool of domination which is rarely wielded over other men. There is a lack of understanding about rape not being a crime of lust but a tool to exercise power over women,” she said.

Ms. Das also noted the lack of not just female, but also queer and transgender faces in the doctors’ agitation. “While I understand that the doctors’ five-point agenda is chiefly based on the health infrastructure and safety of health workers, they could have created a more compelling picture if more women were the faces of the protest,” she said.