The catastrophic Kolkata case of rape, torture, and murder has shaken the city, the state, the rest of India, and the world. Every kind of depravity comes to the fore as people reel in shock. Ajanta Dutt writes…  

Photography: Vinta Nanda

The horrific rape and murder of 31-year-old doctor Abhaya in Kolkata has shocked the nation, drawing stark parallels to the infamous Nirbhaya case. As protests and candlelight marches fill the streets of Kolkata, demands for justice echo across West Bengal. Despite more stringent laws for women's security, crimes against women continue to rise, exposing deep corruption within administrations and the police. Abhaya’s death highlights the urgent need for accountability in the justice system, and the ongoing fight for women’s rights in India remains a pressing issue. The people of Kolkata stand united, calling for justice in a case that has gripped not only India but the world. 

A Leadership in Crisis

The case has ignited widespread protests led by junior doctors and medical professionals. Fifty-one doctors, reportedly close to Sandip Ghosh, the former principal of R G Kar Medical College and a prime suspect in the case, have been summoned by an inquiry committee and barred from campus activities. Despite a Supreme Court order to resume duties, the doctors continue their agitation, demanding justice for the victim and accountability from the state government. Tensions further escalated as Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s call for a meeting was rejected by the protesters, who found it "insulting" that the invitation came from the state health secretary, whose resignation they have demanded.

What complicates this case, and many like it across India, is the political dynamics where parties across the spectrum are seen shielding individuals accused of sexual crimes. The ruling TMC is accused of protecting the director of RG Kar Hospital, while the Congress has controversially fielded Choudhary Lal Singh, who publicly supported the accused in the 2018 Kathua rape and murder of a minor girl, for a seat in Jammu. Meanwhile, the BJP is facing scrutiny for its defence of Brijbhushan Singh accused of sexual harassment, sympathising with the perpetrator of the Unnao tragedy and cover up for the horrific rape and murder in Hathras. These incidents reveal a troubling pattern in Indian politics, where powerful figures and institutions are often seen rallying behind those accused of heinous acts, prioritizing political alliances over justice.

Two Cases of Horror: Abhaya and Nirbhaya

The background of the rapists in the two cases is vastly different. In Abhaya’s case, those who cannot be named are probably educated and rich, doctors and children of politicians and businessmen, exercising close bonds with the trifold pillars of power in Kolkata—the ruling party, the police, and famed medical institutions. Their black businesses involve sex-rackets, exam-bribes for honours and gold medals, resale of drugs and hospital wastes, and illegitimate dispersal and trade of unclaimed bodies from morgues, which could even be related to porn movies or necrophilia. All are accessories in the murder of the young medic.

Tilottama's Legacy: A City's Former Glory Tarnished

The victim is also called Tilottama, a Sanskrit word meaning one who has the finest qualities. An older name for Kolkata, it symbolizes Calcutta of the 70s when hoardings near the Maidan invited the city to be beautiful again. Calcuttans could recall the brutality of police forces who had wiped out a generation of the brightest students daring to take action against oppression. Remembered horrors captured in Mahasweta Devi’s Hajar Churashi’r Ma are paradoxical now, for the police that lynched people to tell the truth are protecting the accused now.

A Laughable Injustice: Systemic Failure in Kolkata

The principal of RG Kar Hospital transgressed the law by callously revealing the victim’s identity. Upon his orders, his staff claimed she was unwell, unconscious, and that the incident was suicide. Doctors and police, contrary to the experience they should have, could not ascertain murder versus suicide but allowed a mystery to circulate around the dead girl. They did not lodge an FIR until 14 hours later—when the cremation had been hurriedly completed. If fellow students, supported by social media, had not protested, Abhaya would simply be part of a series of deaths written off in that hospital. Heinous too is the fabricated narrative of the crime scene by DC-Central, who effectively says, "I told you the police didn’t say it was suicide." She also laughs at the end of her press conference.

A woman is dead, officer, but you find it a laughing matter that you have done your job and protected the guilty? Incidentally, where is Commissioner Saheb, whose name expresses modesty? Why is he missing in action when the crime scene has been altered, evidence destroyed, and documents left inaccurate?

What’s in a Name? Irony and the Betrayal of Compassion

It is deeply ironic that Bengal’s previous chief ministers were highly educated men; yet their names were in contrast to the contemporary condition of their state. When the CM had a name meaning plenty, Bengal suffered from acute food shortage and stringent rationing. Again, in the times of a CM who had a name meaning light, Calcutta reeled under massive power-cuts; evenings shrouded in darkness struggled with flickering lanterns, apart from VIP areas.

The present brings the rudest cut of all as the woman CM at the helm has a name meaning compassion. The worst rape and murder imaginable has taken place under her watch.

Justice Delayed: Bengal Awaits Accountability

Her grassroots speeches and mis-quotes from Bengali stalwarts affirm that literacy and education are not synonymous. She has destroyed ‘Bangali-bhadrota’ (genteel behaviour) and the cultural ascendancy that Bengal was once reputed for. So what’s in a name? Plenty…as this time the rose will not smell as sweet. When another historic battle of flowers begins, will the angry, disillusioned people of Bengal support her, or will they refuse to play ball? Will they not remember what she has done to save those whose lives apparently mean more, although they are depraved? As newscasters predict, the death of ‘doctor-bitiya’ will cast a long, tortuous shadow on the people who perpetrated the ghastly crime.  

The Unravelling of a System: The Kolkata Case and Its Aftermath

Mamata Banerjee has audaciously used a parable of Ramakrishna Paramhansa, encouraging her henchmen to hiss like the proverbial poisonous snake when they cannot strike. She deliberately misunderstands because the sage told the snake to hiss in self-defence against human violence. Her powerful ‘choti-chata bahini’ (army of slipper suckers), related to the dark nexus indulging in criminal activities, are adept at daily violations in the city and beyond. The main accused, bouncer to the nefarious principal, are closely connected as both are misogynists with multiple marriages and known for beating up their wives. All the unnamed suspects in the Kolkata-Kando are far deadlier than ferocious beasts and contemptible for their ignominious, hierarchical behaviour.

The state ministries of governance, health, and police come under a supreme leadership—as do the ministries of greed, corruption, vengeance, and violence. The Kolkata case has not just opened the veritable can of worms, but rather an immense tank of snakes. As names and crimes emerge daily, the people of Bengal are hard-pressed to show their patience with ongoing investigations for justice. They clutch at faith because the most steadfast names are associated with the case. Too much has happened to let it lapse or fade into oblivion. They wait for the trials to begin and for punishments to be meted out.

Abhaya is dead! Long live Tilottama!