In a strong condemnation of the recent rape and murder of a trainee doctor in Kolkata, President Droupadi Murmu expressed her dismay and horror over the incident. Speaking to news agency PTI, President Murmu stated, “Enough is enough,” highlighting the urgent need for a societal overhaul to prevent such heinous crimes against women.
In her first public comment on the Kolkata rape and murder case, President Murmu expressed her support for the ongoing protests and called for swift justice. She reiterated the importance of changing societal attitudes towards women and ensuring their safety and dignity in all spheres of life.
In the interview, President Murmu said that while students, doctors, and citizens were protesting in Kolkata in response to the recent crime, criminals continued to roam freely elsewhere. She stressed that “no civilised society can allow daughters and sisters to be subjected to such atrocities”.
Reflecting on the 12 years since the infamous Nirbhaya case, President Murmu criticized the collective forgetfulness of society towards countless rape cases. “This ‘collective amnesia’ is obnoxious,” she said, emphasising the need for lasting change in how crimes against women are remembered and addressed.
The President pointed out that a “deplorable mindset” often views women as lesser beings—less powerful, less capable, and less intelligent. She called for society to engage in “honest, unbiased self-introspection” and to ask itself difficult questions about its treatment of women.
For the unversed, a 31-year-old trainee doctor was raped and murdered at RG Kar hospital on August 9. The crime caused public outrage and protest across the state with demands for swift action and a death penalty for the accused.