The first news one heard on social media is that one lady PG student of RG Kar Medical College had committed suicide. Within a short spell of time it was corrected that the lady doctor was murdered and subsequently it was claimed that she was raped and murdered. It was very shocking news, as it indicated an unsafe working environment for lady PG andrResident doctors who had to work at wee hours serving the patients in the college. The concern in Manipur is that in many of the medical institutions outside Manipur many female doctor from the state are pursuing PG courses and if such environment prevails, one need to reconsider sending lady doctors outside the state for higher studies and there is a need to have a relook into the working environment of all such institutions, though one is assured that most such institutions have good security within the campus.
That the incident happened in Kolkata was all the more concerning as this is a state that had produced many outstanding personalities such as Rabindranath Tagore, JC Bose, Nandalal Bose, Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen, and many more. Besides it was the working place of persons like CV Raman and others. Further the Bengalis were known for their culture and Manipuris had adopted many of their cultures. Further, many Manipuris had studied there, including RG Kar Medical College. Dacca and Calcutta University were the first choice in the early days for higher education. But the Bengalis, which was once said that Bengal thinks today what the rest of India thinks tomorrow were shattered by the Naxalite movement that shook the core of the culture of Bengalis, leading to Calcutta, now Kolkata, and even the whole West Bengal becoming a place where people are reluctant to study, work or invest resulting the city to surrender its primacy among the metros. For this writer, it was never a favourite city due to its high humidity and heat.
Due to the intervention of the Calcutta High Court the matter was handed over to the CBI and the Apex Court had also taken up the matter suo moto and hoped that something tangible came out and the perpetrators were penalised as per the law of the land. But what is shocking is the response of the College authority and the government which seem trying to cover up the grisly incident. One civic volunteer had reportedly been arrested who allegedly admitted to the crime but there is more than the eye could meet. On pressure from the medical fraternity and the general public, the Principal resigned but rather than accepting it, he was transferred to another Medical College. The claim that there was delay in informing the family of the victim, repair of the room where the crime was committed, etc made one wonder whether there is more than one person involved. The post mortem report indicate that the cause of death was manual strangulation and there were injuries in fourteen places and the liquid in the private parts was about 151 ml, questioning whether there was a gang rape and there was efforts to cover up. The subsequent agitation led to many persons being booked for vandalising the college, which make it seems that rather than this horrendous crime the focus of the state government is on covering up. Polygraph tests of the accused and the ex-Principal will solicit more information in unravelling the crime.
The funny thing is that the Chief Minister went on a rally while she is also the Home and Health Minister. A tamasha to absolve her from the incompetency leading to the crime and the failure to accept the resignation of the Principal indicate towards culpability of the administration at least in the cover up attempt.
The Ex-Principal was under investigation and whether he was involved or not he will be booked for destroying evidence and as a doctor, and that too very senior, must know that preserving the crime scene is crucial. The state government’s intent is suspect due to the hurried cremation, while the body should have been kept preserved for further examination, if necessary, till the investigation is complete.
The response from the medical fraternity was swift and the Indian Medical Association called for a 24 hours strike by all medical doctors and Manipur also participated, with success. In Manipur even before that 24 hour protest, there were sit-in protests in the two medical institutions by the PG students and the residents. But later in the social media, there were calls why should Manipur involve itself when other states do not offer much during the more than 15 months old crisis in the state. This is rather a myopic view and Manipur, especially the Meitei, need to come out from its cocoon and echo chamber and work towards a more inclusive approach.
Even now most of the press releases relating to the crisis are in Meiteilon either in Bengali or Roman script rather than issued in English so that others can understand but no, it continues as usual thereby continuing to isolate itself. The best should have been to issue in diglot, both Manipuri and English, especially those that need national attention. If these were released in Meiteilon, why would the national media pick it up as they have to get it translated and reported? We need to make it convenient for the national media to understand the issue at hand as easily as possible. It may be mentioned that many MPs from other states, including one from West Bengal had raised the issue eloquently in the Lok Sabha. Further, the incident is like the Nirbhaya case that happened in Munirka, Delhi in 2012 that led to major changes in the criminal laws. This case may also lead to some new laws being enacted, especially in relation to a safe working environment for lady doctors.
One thing all medical institutions must do is to conduct a review of the security aspect of the institutions, especially for the lady doctors and other staff who had to perform night duty and even conduct a scrutiny on the security staff detailed during the night shift. Separate provisions for restroom, wash rooms, etc for the lady staff must be looked into and any deficit needs to be made good. The agitation and movement has not petered in many states demanding changes in the laws and to make the working space more secure and Manipur need also to continue to engage in such movement.
For the TMC, they are in power since 2011, and despite all predictions it did very well in the recently concluded general election to the Lok Sabha. But they are using the technique which was perfected by the Let Front which ruled West Bengal from 1977 to 2011, that is using muscle power to influence voters. In the 20th century, IT was not that developed and information was mainly through the media outlets, but in the 21st century it is the social media which breaks the news and the Arab Spring uprising could happen due to IT and it led to leaders of three countries deposed.
Besides, there have been changes even in countries like Saudi Arabia, which was ruled with an iron hand. By now social media had become so powerful and penetrative that strong arm methods that were prevailing in the 20th century to rule may not be effective for a long time in the 21st century. North Korea had successfully refused to adopt IT for the masses and that is the reason why strong arm method is prevailing and there is no revolt. But no one can stop technology and the moment it is used on a large scale, there is bound to be regime change. It needs to recall that the Left Front met its Waterloo after the Singur debacle in 2008 and subsequent years, which was taken advantage of by TMC. Voters in India are not that stupid as many try to project, and they can make regime change like the defeat and resurrection of Indira Gandhi, the defeat of NDA in 2004, defeat of UPA in 2014, and the cutting down of the NDA in the recently concluded MP election.
As at present there is the question why the government was so keen to protect the ex Principal and what is the reason and if so why would it take such a risk when it can boomerang anytime? Mamata Banerjee is a street fighter, no doubt, and fights her way through in many difficult situations but everybody has his or her time and the RG Kar incident can be her Waterloo, if not handled properly. West Bengal had seen Congress rule, Left Front rule and the present TMC government and what is the position of the Congress and the Left Front in West Bengal now? They are past history and any ruling party can be in their position.
(The views expressed are personal)
