"Kolkata doctor murder case: How can such an incident occur in a hospital, where our primary duty is to save lives?"
A second-year PGT was raped and murdered in a seminar room, bringing attention to serious security lapses. Female doctors and healthcare workers are requesting improved security, a designated resting room, and necessary amenities to ensure their safety. This emphasizes the urgent need for safer working conditions in hospitals.
Arpit Pattnaik
The bone-chilling incident has left me feeling shattered and unsafe. A colleague was raped and murdered at a place that has become like a second home to me. I can't even fathom what she must have gone through. It could have been any one of us - me, another female resident, or a junior doctor working the night shift. The wards can get quite deserted at times. Just the thought of someone walking into a ward at night and harming a female doctor is horrifying. Can this really happen in a hospital, where we are dedicated to saving patients? Is this what a doctor deserves? The second-year PGT had gone to take a break in the seminar room after being on duty for almost 14 hours.Why are we called the backbone of a hospital? It's because a PGT works for 36 hours at a stretch, staying up night after night, tending to patients. Do we deserve to be raped and murdered? Patients and relatives don't always understand our workload, and we sometimes do not get enough time to communicate well, leading to frictions. But it never crossed my mind that someone, a doctor, could be raped and murdered in a hospital.
Students Concerned Over Safety
Students have expressed concerns about their safety and security on campus following a troubling incident. BJP activists staged demonstrations at the hospital in response to the incident, but students have insisted that they do not want politics to enter the hospital campus. The incident has also triggered a political dispute, with both the BJP and CPM dismissing the police probe as insufficient. State BJP chief Sukanta Majumdar has stated, "The arrest could be a charade. Only a CBI probe can uncover the truth and serve justice." The ruling Trinamool party has urged against politicizing the issue. Additionally, Trinamool Congress National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee has called for the BJP to introduce a bill for expedited trials in cases of serious crimes such as rape, with the opposition's support. Banerjee also proposed a mechanism guaranteeing a seven-day trial in cases where there is circumstantial evidence. He further stated, "The accused should either receive the death penalty or be encountered. These individuals do not deserve a place in society, and there is no point in wasting money on them during a trial that lasts for years."
"Nothing To Hide": Mamata Banerjee
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee described the incident as "unfortunate and despicable" and expressed understanding for the anger felt by her colleagues. She appealed to the protesting doctors not to neglect their patients and assured them that they would not face any problems.
"I have spoken to the victim's family and assured them that proper action will be taken. I have ordered for the case to be taken to a fast-track court. If necessary, the accused will face the death penalty, even though I am not in favor of capital punishment. They should receive the harshest punishment," she said in an interview with a local TV channel.
Ms. Banerjee also stated that she has no objection to calls for a central agency investigation, as the administration has "nothing to hide".
