Red Stains on White Coats: The Growing Threat to India's Doctors

Several countries in the world have annual sports summits, festivals, fairs, cultural showdowns, and so on. Our country seems to have an annual rape and murder case, showcasing brutality, barbarity and inhumanity in it’s best, most devastating form. The act of heinous violence against a human is shortly followed by “the accused will be punished appropriately, even hanged, if needed”, marches for women’s rights and safety and of course uncountable words written and spoken about it. But this unrest lasts for mere weeks, sometimes few months, obviously depending on how bad it was, because apparently there is a scale of how tolerable the sexual offence was and if there is or is not a scope of blaming the woman, girl or literal babies who were victims of either a fatal forced penetration and violence or a miserable life of living with it.

The statistics of the incident are probably all over your social media platforms. She was a 31 year old post graduate trainee doctor. On 8th of August, Thursday, she was on her night shift at R. G. Kar Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata. On the morning of 9th, found dead, wait, not just dead, bleeding from her eyes due to shards of glass in them, disfigured limbs, a broken pelvic girdle, semi naked, bleeding from her vagina and according to the post-mortem examination, with the DNA of several monsters in her body. The accused, Sanjay Roy, who was known to stay at the hospital after hours due to his “connections” was arrested the following day and the Special Investigation Team revealed to the media the outcomes of the autopsy and the suspected details of the murder, one of which is “The accused may have murdered her before raping her”. Following the indefinite strike by the medical staff of various states of the country, marches by the citizens demanding justice and protests slowly turning violent, the case was handed over to CBI for further investigation. And to add to the clownery that is made out of the incident, CM Mamata Banerjee, the only sitting woman chief minister of the nation has said, “...the accused will be hanged, if needed”. Let me repeat that one for you, “if needed”.?

What an honour to writing about a sexual assault so cold blooded, on the anniversary of independence of the nation. Rani Lakshami Bai must be really proud of us today, right? Begum Hazrat Mahal, Sarojini Naidu, Kasturba Gandhi, must be up there in heaven, looking down upon us today and wondering why did they even devote their life for us to be free? I too, have fought my mother and my father over restricting going out at night or wearing certain clothes or going out with men, but their concern never is or never will be that I will get intoxicated and do something stupid, they dread having to wake up to a dead daughter, violated so bad that her dying is way better than her staying alive after what happened. But then again, choosing hostels over independent flats for safety? A video of you bathing might get leaked. Went to school or college? Might get molested by your teachers. At your workplace? Might get sexually assaulted till your last breath. Gangraped in a bus, raped for 2 years by her own father, van driver raped a nursery student, maritally raped, burnt to death for dowry by in-laws…and leaders of the nation say, “ripped jeans mat pehna karo”. This is not about women, it's about humans, humans that had to face the filthiest of inhumane behaviour, and it is no secret that one gender, faces it more often than the other. #notallmen but definitely, all women, every single woman who has walked this planet earth, has faced some or the other form of physical violation.?

As the Central Bureau of Investigation carries the investigation along with the Kolkata Police, the family of the victim has raised demands for arrest of other men involved in the crime as the forensic reports suggest that there was 150mg of semen found in her body, which is humanly impossible to be one man’s. Striking doctors are demanding a Central Healthcare Protection Act to enhance safety measures for medical personnel amidst concerns about rising violence against them. Despite the Federation of Resident Doctors' Associations calling off the strike, various medical organisations, including the resident doctors' association at AIIMS Delhi, continue protesting against inadequate protective measures. The medical professional’s strike could result in major fallout on the healthcare delivery in the nation, but how can we even expect them to do their jobs amidst an atmosphere full of fear. The principal, Dr. Sandip Ghosh, resigned from his position followed by appropriate backlash that was a result of his victim blaming, pathetic statements, like calling the deceased psychotic. But in less than 24 hours he was reinstated as the principal again. The hospital has allegedly started renovation in the seminar hall after the incident, which is being condemned by the protestors and netizens.?

In the wake of the demands for better safety measures, Office Of The Principal Cum Chief Superintendent Silchar Medical College and Hospital, Silchar, Assam released an advisory, that in one word can be described as enraging. To summarise the tomfoolery of an advisory that it is, it asks the female staff, doctors and students to avoid poorly lit, isolated and sparsely populated areas, refrain from moving around in or off campus unless absolutely necessary and to abide by hostel rules and regulations. While on duty the staff is ordered to be gracious and emotionally composed, and to avoid attracting unnecessary attention, because the emotional unpredictability of women is obviously the reason for the rapes and murders, duh! They are also advised to keep emergency contacts handy and to be cautious around suspicious people. Revolutionary, must I say.

Peaceful marches are turning violent, the hospital was vandalised late at night, allegedly to destroy evidence and slogans demanding increased safety for the doctors of the nation are echoing loud and clear. A doctor in India, becomes one with years of hard work, patience and compassion for their patients. They work day in and day out to ensure the best care is provided to everyone who comes to them to protect their health and wellness, and that doctor, who in our country is regarded as God on Earth, is unsafe, in the hospital itself.? But is it just about the safety of female doctors? Or about all of the female workforce? Or about every woman, rather every human of India? Because “she” was the victim of rape and murder and suffered the worst kind of death, she is gone. But when we target men, all of them, we forget that her father had to see her motionless, naked body, all her dignity, pride and respect ripped off of her, he will have to live with it. It’s the biggest day of celebration for the nation today, it’s 15th August. Try to reason with your own conscience, if we, as a nation, are independent or not, and more importantly, if we can call ourselves free or not.

Credits: Sneha Kumar