West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee led a protest march in Kolkata seeking justice for the victim of the rape and murder that took place in RG Kar Hospital. People are asking who she was protesting against. After all, it is she who is in power in the state and is answerable for such systemic breakdowns. It is an irony that she can perform political acrobatics in such a sensitive matter, and it is par for the course.
It is true that there are sexual predators everywhere and it will require a major cultural advance to transcend the psychological deficiencies that cause such problems. But, even in the present circumstances, there are places where the effort is made to prevent such incidents, while, at others, these are enabled for a number of reasons.
West Bengal definitely falls in the latter category. It was not so long ago that the Sandeshkhali scandal had come to the fore, yet, manipulative politics not only shielded the perpetrators but even shifted the narrative towards communal polarisation. What kind of a message will that have communicated – that those in the right camp may do anything? And, naturally, this mindset percolates to the grassroots as it is all pervasive. The actions of the powerful are naturally copied by the hoi polloi.
One reason for this is the deal that has been made with power-brokers – they can do what they like as long as they ensure votes are herded into the TMC’s account. Winning the elections is offered as justification for all that occurs. “Women are being raped, exploited, trafficked, humiliated? But the people support us,” is the response. This is an argument difficult to counter as, indeed, the election results signify public acceptance of what’s going on.
Naturally, when there is no government control in such a significant area, the reins will be loosened everywhere. Why the surprise if the rape and murder was initially sought to be covered up by the hospital authorities, themselves, by telling the parents it was suicide? Layer after layer of negligence, callousness, complicity, etc., are being uncovered since the story broke. The attacks on protesting doctors by ‘unknown’ goons was the same old strategy adopted in Sandeshkhali and elsewhere, earlier, to intimidate those seeking justice. Even the Principal of the Hospital, who was immediately ‘removed’, was just as immediately adjusted in another post. Does it not reveal the involvement of those right at the top? How long can this cold-blooded focus on power rather than principles continue? Be not surprised if even worse happens in the future.
