Indian origin doctors and medical students in the UK issued an open letter on Saturday as protests intensified over the rape and murder of a Kolkata medico. The missive followed a peaceful protest outside India House in London and similar gatherings in several major UK cities to support the corresponding agitation in India.
“This incident is a symptom of the rising violence against women and the negligence of the state towards its citizens. The absence of investment in public infrastructure and safety measures has a disproportionate impact on women, who are already marginalised by the patriarchal social conditions. Instead of supporting their empowerment by creating safe workplaces and efficient judicial mechanisms, government leaders, including Mamata Banerjee, have historically indulged in victim-blaming and misogynist responses,” ,” read an excerpt from the open letter.
The letter condemned the “brutal” incident and the subsequent “inaction” of the West Bengal government. It also dubbed the case an indicator of the “urgent necessity to implement public safety measures and internal complaint mechanisms in all workplaces” across India.
The 31-year-old postgraduate trainee doctor was found dead with severe injuries in the seminar hall of RG Kar Medical College on August 9. A civic volunteer has been arrested in connection with the incident and a CBI probe remains underway. The incident has sparked global condemnation with around a million doctors in India observing a strike on Saturday.
Further protests are also planned in the UK including a peaceful demonstration by British Indian women doctors at Parliament Square in London near the Mahatma Gandhi statue on August 22.
“We stand in solidarity with our fraternity. Justice delayed is justice denied is the collective refrain of the doctors who have reached out to me from across the UK, US, Canada and the UAE,” said Dr Dipti Jain, a National Health Service (NHS) geriatrician based in Brighton
(With inputs from agencies)
