West Bengal and Women’s Safety

Nearly a year after a junior doctor was raped and murdered inside the seminar hall of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata, the city has witnessed a similar gruesome incident, this time in South Calcutta Law College campus, where a 24-year-old law student was allegedly gang raped. These incidents have raised serious questions about safety of women in West Bengal. The task is now clearly cut out for the state authorities- to identity the lapses and ensure safety of women in the state. Is it simply because of misgovernance or the sense of morality has eroded? Unfortunately, instead of finding answers to these questions, both the ruling and the opposition parties are trying to politicize the issue, instead of finding the root cause of the problem to end such crimes. It is a dangerous trend that should be arrested at the earliest to avoid anarchy in future.

In Bengal’s case, it seems like the law enforcing machinery has been virtually paralyzed due to political interventions. The failure to set precedent for criminal activities has not helped in addressing the disturbing trend. The result is, anti-social elements are having a field day, committing crimes with no fear for the law of the land. The possible link of the accused with political parties further complicates things. In both the cases at R. G. Kar Medical College and Hospital, and South Calcutta Law College, the accused persons seemed to have very strong political connections.

To prevent such shameful incidents in future, free and fair investigation without any political interference is a must. Political parties too should keep a vigil on their workers and ensure that they do not bring bad name to the party by not involving in criminal activities. Trying to wash their hands of in cases involving their members by saying that the culprits have been arrested within 24-hours of filing the first information report (FIR) and the matter is sub-judice is simply not done. It is their responsibility to present water-tight cases before the judiciary with all available evidence, so that exemplary punishment can be awarded to the offenders. The law enforcement agencies also must uphold the principles of justice and maintain public trust by staying clear of political interference in case handling.