‘‘Enough is Enough…”: President Murmu Breaks Silence on Kolkata RG Kar Rape and Murder, Calls for Urgent Action on Women’s Safety

“Enough is enough,” said President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday in her first public comment on the horrific rape and murder of the PGT doctor in R G Kar Medical College and Hospital expressed her deep anguish over the incident. In an exclusive signed article to news agency PTI (Press Trust of India) titled ‘Women’s Safety: Enough is Enough’ President Murmu emphasized the urgent need for India to confront the perversion of crimes against women and challenge the mindset that views women as less powerful, less capable and less intelligent. “No civilised society can allow daughters and sisters to be subjected to such atrocities. The nation is bound to be outraged, and so am I”, wrote the President.

The article marks the President’s first public comment on the gruesome Kolkata incident which has triggered widespread protests across the country. Recalling a recent interaction with school children during Raksha Bandhan, the President stated that there were questions raised if future incidents like the Nirbhaya case could be prevented. Reflecting on the aftermath of the 2012 Nirbhaya Case, she acknowledged that while national outrage led to some positive changes, many similar tragedies have occurred in the past 12 years, with only a few gaining significant attention. “Did we learn our lessons? As social protests petered out, these incidents got buried into a deep and inaccessible recess of social memory”, asserted Murmu.

Droupadi Murmu criticized the societal mindset that objectifies women and sees them as lesser beings. She emphasized that this deplorable mindset is deeply ingrained which contributes to the violence against women and called for both State and Society to work together to address and combat this mindset. “Even with laws and social campaigns in place, there is something that continues to torment us,” observed President Murmu. Addressing the need for historical reflection, she stated that societies often resort to “Collective Amnesia” to avoid confronting uncomfortable truths. “Now the time has come not only to face history squarely but also to search within our souls and probe the pathology of crimes against women”, she urged.

The President in her appeal called for a comprehensive approach to tackle these issues and emphasized the importance of honoring the memory of victims by fostering a culture of remembrance and vigilance. “Let us deal with this perversion in a comprehensive manner so as to curb it right at the beginning”, she said. President Murmu concluded by stressing the need for honest and unbiased self introspection and posing critical questions about societal errors and solutions. “Without finding out the answer to that question, the half of our population cannot live as freely as the other half”, said the president.

The dead body of the 31-year-old PGT doctor with severe injury marks was found inside the seminar hall of R G Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9 after she was allegedly raped and murdered when she had gone to rest during her shift. The prime accused, Sanjoy Roy, a civic volunteer in the welfare department of Kolkata Police was arrested on the next day based on CCTV footages and was put through extensive interrogation when recent injuries on his left cheek, left hand and on the back of his left thigh showing signs of struggle were recorded by the police. His biological samples like urethral swab and smear, semen, hair, nail clippings and scrapings were collected during the medico-legal examination.

On August 13, the Calcutta High Court ordered the transfer of the probe from the Kolkata Police to the CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) which took over the case on August 14. After taking over the case, the CBI subjected the former principal of R G Kar Medical College and Hospital, Sandip Ghosh, the prime accused Sanjoy Roy and four doctors who were on duty with the victim to Polygraph tests to get further leads about the crime.​