Rape in hospital, anger on streets and politics: RG Kar Horror No Sandeshkhali, could shake Mamata's female voter base

In a shocking escalation of abuse of power, a young doctor was brutally raped and murdered by a citizen police volunteer, allegedly a political appointee, at a government hospital in Kolkata. Unlike the Sandeshkari incident, where abstract statements of sexual assault and violence dominated the narrative, here there are harsh realities: a victim, a body, and a crime committed inside a so-called secure hospital.

The RG Kar case highlights the dangerous impact of uncontrolled, and sometimes unauthorized, citizen volunteers and state hospital systems. What could be worse than betraying the public trust by those appointed to uphold it?

There has been no word from the government on investigating the Citizen Volunteer Force's lapses. Meanwhile, the principal of the college was transferred to a higher government hospital by the government after he resigned from RG Kar.

Midnight scenes on the streets of Kolkata, suburban towns and villages across districts on the eve of Independence Day reflect the profound impact on Mamata Banerjee's women voters. These women, who once rallied to support their “Didi” during the election, are now leading long-distance marches demanding justice for the young doctor.

The campaign has garnered consistent attention through multiple forms of social media activity across the state and beyond, signaling a powerful shift. Unlike the Sandesh Khali agitation that eventually ran out of steam and failed in the political transition, this uprising is different – ​​it is driven by the same voters who once empowered the country’s leadership.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and some of her party colleagues have issued statements through public speeches and social media posts, calling the movement “politically motivated and for people of color” movement, which makes the situation more complicated. The state's ruling party has seen many senior leaders join the protests while distancing themselves from the party's stance on the issue.

Sandeshkari’s tragedy is not far-fetched

The rape and murder of a young doctor at one of Kolkata's most prestigious government hospitals is not a distant tragedy like Sandesh Khali; it is a stark and brutal reality in the state capital. A victim, a body, a crime scene turned by a government agency, and a perpetrator emboldened by alleged political connections – what lies between the incident at RG Kar Medical College and Sandesh Khali's alleged case Multiple comparisons. Unlike sexual assaults in rural Bangladesh, the RG Kar case goes to the heart of urban security and trust in state institutions.

Here, the victims are not just another statistic from a distant village. According to her colleagues, she was an ambitious, hard-working, smart doctor, a professional dedicated to saving lives, but she was raped and murdered in a seemingly sacred government hospital. What is even more shocking is that the murderer in this case was a volunteer police officer who represents law and order.

The trauma endured by the victims' families and the decision to rehabilitate former RG Kar principal Sandip Ghosh further added fuel to the fire.

In Sandeshkari, violence, while abhorrent, is often seen as a product of the socio-political complexity of the region. But in Kolkata, a city that prides itself as a cultural and intellectual hub, the incident shattered illusions of security and civic governance. Not only was this an isolated crime, it was a statement of dangerous precedent for giving parallel powers to individuals without accountability.

The case exposes the fatal flaws of a system that allows political considerations to trump basic obligations to protect citizens. This is not only another case of violence, but also a betrayal of citizens’ trust in public institutions.