Joint International Statement regarding the rape and murder in West Bengal
We hereby share a statement published by Revolutionary Students’ Front.
JOINT INTERNATIONAL STATEMENT REGARDING THE RAPE AND MURDER OF PGT INTERN AT RG KAR MEDICAL COLLEGE
The junior doctors of the state government hospitals and medical colleges in West Bengal have been on a ‘cease-work’ protest since 12/08/2024 demanding justice for the gang-rape and murder of a second year PG intern at RG Kar Medical College allegedly by the Trinamool Congress. Doctors from many other government hospitals, across state borders and at the national level, have also joined the call for cease-work. Their primary demand is exemplary punishment for the culprits and their close associates from the Trinamool Congress, who are currently in hiding. We commend the united and struggling zeal of the protesting doctors, and stand in complete solidarity with their movement for justice. However, we would also like to express our concern over the growing ordeals related to the healthcare needs of the common people, especially the socio-economically downtrodden masses, owing to the near standstill-like situation in government-run medical colleges and hospitals. We hold the state and central governments accountable for their blatant indifference towards the demands of the protesting doctors and condemn the abhorrable mockery of justice that is being carried out by the state in the name of conducting an investigation.
In the midnight of August 15, during a peaceful ‘Reclaim the Night’ rally, the protesters of RG Kar Medical College were attacked by hooligans from TMC. In an attempt to destroy the evidence, the emergency department was vandalised, the protesters were beaten up. During this vandalism, the police force, the bootlickers of Mamata government, played a passive role. At around the same time, the same Kolkata Police showed hyperactivity against the protestors who came to demand justice for the brutal gang-rape and murder incident and tear gas shells, rubber bullets, lathi-charge – all were used upon the protesters. Mamata Banerjee has even threatened the protesters with legal action and “destroying their futures”.
On the one hand, the Trinamool Congress IT cell, under Mamata Banerjee’s orders, is releasing personal information of the agitators, making ugly personal attacks on them, trying to terrorize them in schools, colleges and universities. Mamata Banerjee saying “patients are dying”, is a well-planned attempt to shape public opinion against the medicos’ movement for fair demands. Adding up to all this, under BNSS section 163, all protest gatherings near RGKMCH have been banned to stop the protesters.
On the other hand, the BJP-RSS-ABVP led Hindutva brigade has hit the streets to capitalise on this incident, concocting schemes to further their own evil interests. Let us not forget that it is the Modi-Shah led saffron brigade which is the chief political patron of Brahminical patriarchy, which systematically promotes rape-culture. Let us not forget Bilkis Bano in Gujarat, victim of Hathras, or the eight-year old child-victim in Kathua when we demand justice for our victim at RG Kar.
We salute all the agitating doctors, students, parents, and all the protesting masses across state and nation. We also call for a militant mass resistance across the state and nation against the rapist, murderous TMC government in West Bengal, and against all reactionary parliamentary parties across the nation, and their professional lackeys, the police and other State-forces.
★ Let us all strengthen the ongoing movement demanding justice for the victim. The CBI must expose and arrest all the perpetrators directly involved in this case as well as all those powerful individuals who are involved in shielding them.
★ We demand the immediate resignation of Health Minister and Home Minister of the state of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee, and also the resignation of Kolkata Police Commissioner Vinnet Goyal for their condemnable role in this case.
★ Fight against heinous repression and attack on protesting medicos and civil society by TMC goon-police nexus. Demand a safe work environment for all in the healthcare sector as well as all other professions.
★ Advance people’s struggle for true democratization of the Indian society. Unite to annihilate Brahminical patriarchy and its resultant rape-culture and create a new society which facilitates the fight for women’s liberation.
RSF
SFI
AISA
ASA
DSA
BSM
BsCEM
DISSC
SFS
PACHHAS
PYL
Anushilon
RSYM, Bangladesh
PSC, Pakistan
ANSU, Nepal
ANNISUR, Nepal
ABFSU, Myanmar
RSG (Portland), USA