New Delhi: Bollywood stars have resorted to social media to voice their utter rage at the horrific rape and murder of a female medical trainee in Kolkata. The body of a 31-year-old doctor was discovered in a lecture hall at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on the morning of August 9, according to PTI. The shocking occurrence has caused a number of actors including Alia Bhatt and Ayushmann Khurrana to go to social media to bring attention to the persistent problem of women's safety in India.
Alia Bhatt posted, “Another brutal rape. Another day of realisation that women are not safe, anywhere”.
Evoking the horrors of the Nirbhaya tragedy that occurred in India more than ten years ago, she said, “Another horrific atrocity to remind us that it’s been over a decade since the Nirbhaya tragedy, yet nothing much has changed.”
The actress also mentioned disturbing data from the NCRB 2022 study. She brought attention to the fact that women make up 80% of India's nursing workforce and 30% of the country's physicians, making them especially susceptible to the rising tide of violence against healthcare workers. In addition, she brought attention to the fact that the number of crimes committed against women has increased by 4% since 2022, with more than 20% of these crimes being rape or assault.
The actress demanded that authorities make women's safety a top priority by instituting safeguards and establishing safe spaces.
Sharing a video on Instagram, actor Vijay Varma wrote, "At least, protect our protectors." Vijay also published a post on "why we should pay attention to what doctors are saying right now".
Ayushmann Khurrana’s Poem for Women
Ayushmann Khurrana posted a poem on Instagram titled Kaash Mei Bhi Ladka Hota (I Wish I Were a Boy). Ayushmann portrays the universal feelings and anxieties felt by women in this tragic video. The poem muses on what life would be like for women if they weren't always on edge, what if they could go about their day without fear of reprisal, and how much easier it would be to sleep soundly at night.
Watch the video here:
Comedian-actor Vir Das also took to Twitter to question the government about women’s safety.
Parineeti Chopra stated in a reshared post about the incident, "Disgusting. Horrific."
Actors, meantime, have been heavily re-sharing an Instagram post on women's safety on the job.
The Case
On August 9, a lecture hall at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital found the body of a female post-graduate trainee (PGT) doctor. On Saturday, a community volunteer was taken into custody in relation to the incident.
On Tuesday, the Calcutta High Court ordered the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to take over the investigation into the trainee doctor's alleged rape and murder from the Kolkata Police.