'Enough is Enough': Anguished President Droupadi Murmu on Kolkata Doctor's Rape and Murder

New Delhi: In her first public comment on the horrific rape and murder of a Kolkata doctor, President Droupadi Murmu expressed her deep anguish and horror. In a poignant statement on Wednesday, President Murmu declared, “Enough is enough,” emphasizing the urgent need for India to confront the “perversion” of crimes against women and challenge the mindset that views women as “less powerful, less capable, less intelligent.”

In an exclusive signed article to news agency PTI titled “Women’s Safety: Enough is Enough,” President Murmu expressed her “dismay and horror” over the August 9 rape and murder of a junior doctor in Kolkata, highlighting that this incident is part of a troubling pattern of violence against women.

“No civilised society can allow daughters and sisters to be subjected to such atrocities. The nation is bound to be outraged, and so am I,” she wrote.

This article marks the president’s first public comment on the Kolkata incident, which has triggered widespread protests and renewed national concern.

President Murmu noted that despite ongoing protests in Kolkata, “criminals remained on the prowl elsewhere,” including targeting young girls. She recounted a recent interaction with schoolchildren during Raksha Bandhan, where they questioned if future incidents like the Nirbhaya case could be prevented.

Reflecting on the aftermath of the 2012 Nirbhaya case, she acknowledged that while national outrage led to some positive changes, many similar tragedies have occurred in the past 12 years, with only a few gaining significant attention. “Did we learn our lessons? As social protests petered out, these incidents got buried into a deep and inaccessible recess of social memory,” she said.

The president criticised the societal mindset that objectifies women and sees them as lesser beings. She emphasised that this “deplorable mindset” is deeply ingrained and contributes to the violence against women.

“Even with laws and social campaigns in place, there is something that continues to torment us,” President Murmu observed. She called for both State and society to work together to address and combat this mindset.

Addressing the need for historical reflection, she stated that societies often resort to “collective amnesia” to avoid confronting uncomfortable truths. “Now the time has come not only to face history squarely but also to search within our souls and probe the pathology of crimes against women,” she urged.

In her impassioned appeal, President Murmu called for a comprehensive approach to tackling these issues. “Let us deal with this perversion in a comprehensive manner so as to curb it right at the beginning,” she said. She emphasised the importance of honoring the memory of victims by fostering a culture of remembrance and vigilance.

The president concluded by stressing the need for “honest, unbiased self-introspection” and posing critical questions about societal errors and solutions. “Without finding out the answer to that question, the half of our population cannot live as freely as the other half,” she said.

The trainee doctor was allegedly raped and murdered in the seminar hall of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital when she had gone to rest during her graveyard shift in the early hours of August 9. Her body with severe injury marks was found inside the hall by a doctor who was on rounds.

The prime accused in the case Sanjoy Roy was arrested the next day based on CCTV footage in which he was seen entering the seminar hall at 4.03 am on the day of the incident.

He was put through extensive interrogation when "recent injuries" on his left cheek, abrasion on the left hand and the back of his left thigh, among others, showing signs of struggle were recorded by police.

His biological samples like urethral swab and smear, semen, hair, nail clippings and nail scraping were collected during the medico-legal examination.

On August 13, the Calcutta High Court ordered the transfer of the probe from the Kolkata Police to the CBI, which took over the case on August 14.

After taking over the case, the CBI subjected Roy, former principal of the medical college Sandip Ghosh, four doctors who were on duty with the victim, and a civic volunteer to polygraph tests to get further leads about the crime.