Ever since the Nirbhaya rape and murder case, no other incident has captured the rage of the nation as much as the "Abhaya" case of Kolkata has people from all walks of life articulating their displeasure over the matter, and in no uncertain terms at that. The rape and murder of the 31-year-old Post Graduate trainee doctor at the seminar room of RG Kar Hospital in Kolkata on August 9 has elicited the sort of response reserved for the most abominable of acts.

Keeping their bitter rivalry aside, that thousands of fans of Kolkata's 'Big Three' football clubs – Mohun Bagan, East Bengal and Mohammedan Sporting – came together to protest the Kolkata horror is by itself a testimony of the simmering anger caused by incidents which demean women and fuels abuse by men. Crowds across the country sending a strong message of solidarity in the wake of the young doctor's brutal rape and murder speaks for the mood of the people. The entire nation is shell-shocked!

Moreover, the case has also invited international outrage, with the foreign media lambasting India for its slack laws that allow a recurrence of similar acts at an alarming frequency. Such deplorable crimes cross boundaries about injustice towards women. The Unnao case in 2017, the Kathua case in 2018, the Hyderabad case in 2019, and the Hathras case in 2020! It is as if an extreme act of barbarism against women is being played out every year in our country. Countless others that don't make the headlines complete the list.

From 'Nirbhaya' in 2012 to 'Abhaya' in 2024, it has been a long series of brutalities perpetrated on women, but which have elicited just formal responses which don't seem to go beyond candlelight marches and vigils and taking to social media to vent our anger over the matter. Truth be told, as the years slip into eras of development and technological advancements, we are still confining ourselves to the idiocies of those periods in history where the subjugation of women was a matter of honour for men and came so quickly to them.

According to WHO data, "Violence against women remains devastatingly pervasive and starts alarmingly young." When a woman does not feel safe in society, it speaks for society's indifference to women and the silence of the mainstream on this matter. Ironically, for a nation that takes pride in being hailed as a mother (Bharat Mata Ki Jai), the country's women continue to be vulnerable to all possible insecurities in life!

As is customary during every Independence Day, the pride of having gained freedom from the yokes of colonial rule naturally makes every Indian celebrate the day year after year. However, on August 15, I was taken aback by the comments of a librarian friend of mine when I wished her on the occasion. "The Kolkata rape and murder incident has left me in deep sorrow. What is there to celebrate about this independence; I really don't know!" she said. Probably, she is echoing the sentiments of every girl and every woman in the country, especially after the dastardly act.

Has the safety of women really featured in our order of priorities? Women's empowerment, which would have every woman believe that she is the heroine of her life and not a victim, is a distant dream in the country. For all the over-hyped dialogues on this matter, the safety of women only seems to feature as a 'dominant' topic intermittently in the parliament and various state assemblies when the sessions are on. More so when the media sensationalises an atrocity against a woman, the lawmakers are then compelled to huddle together for a pow-wow in the house.
Take this case, for instance!

However, it is the shameless politics being played over the matter that enrages one. The illogical proceedings that mark the cribbing between the state government and the Centre only serve to give the whole case a new dimension. With every passing day bringing about a new 'revelation' in the case, it now has elements of suspense and mystery being ascribed to it. With varied versions of a typical Robin Cook plot doing the rounds, investigators have also been compelled to look into the 'conspiracy' theory.

While the phobia that has gripped the whole state in the wake of the atrocious act is palpable, it is all the hollering minus the intent to bring the culprits to the book that has been sending wrong signals. Can West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's decision to lead a protest rally demanding justice for the 'raped and murdered' woman doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital be seen as anything but farcical considering that the horrendous incident took place at a state-run hospital! By virtue of being the CM of the state, when it is within her powers to goad the state machinery into action, it remains a puzzle as to whom her demand for justice is directed at!

If reports are to be believed, things have come to a stage where the rape and murder of the doctor is threatening the veteran leader's grip on power. In any case, as the protests have spread to the rest of the country, the intensity of the demonstrations has not gone unnoticed. The protesters have been very passionate about their feelings on the matter. It is as if the whole nation has come together to express its anguish.

More than the distress, it is the apprehension of the insecurity that is largely evident over the years that has apparently spurred such a reaction. An oppression that has known no limits and continues to be wielded as a demoralising deterrent, men and their predatory manners hardly offer women a sense of security even today.

The sexual assault of two kindergarten students in a local school by a cleaning staffer in the washroom of the school barely four days after the gruesome incident at RG Kar Hospital in Kolkata triggered massive protests at the Badlapur railway station in Maharashtra's Thane district.

For every case that garners national headlines, several others go unnoticed and unreported.

Amidst the bitterness of the reprehensible act, which has now evolved into a nationwide stir by healthcare workers demanding stricter protection laws for medical professionals, the limelight is once again on the safety of doctors and nurses at their workplaces. But is it just the healthcare professionals who are dogged by safety worries? An article in the New York Times has been forthright about the matter. "For a country desperate to be seen as a global leader, repeated high-profile cases of brutal sexual assaults highlight an uncomfortable truth: India, by many measures, remains one of the world's most unsafe places for women."

It is not that the situation is any different internationally! Estimates published by WHO indicate that globally, about 30% of women worldwide have been subjected to either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime. Yet, violence against women is more evident in India and has gained extensive media coverage. Is it because the persistence of violence against women is deeply rooted in entrenched systems of sexism and patriarchy that permeate Indian culture!

There is a widespread belief that gender inequality and norms on the acceptability of violence against women are the root causes of violence against women. Despite stricter laws, crimes against women persist and continue to rise, underscoring the urgent need for comprehensive reforms. But with laws and regulations falling short of women's safety, a strong belief that corruption within the legal and law enforcement systems can undermine efforts to address crimes against women is taking firm roots.

News reports about a 21-year-old gang-rape survivor from Uttar Pradesh's Ambedkar Nagar committing suicide after a police sub-inspector allegedly refused to file a case against three men for the crime and instead coerced her father into writing a complaint that omitted details, speaks for the insensitiveness of the system to the whole issue under consideration! Need anything more to be said?

As the Prime Minister said, the country's women play an essential role, and hence, there is a need to further empower them. However, there is also a simultaneous need to ensure their safety and security. Without anything concrete being attempted to make a meaningful and lasting impact, creating a safe and secure environment for women will only remain a distant dream – debated and forgotten when the heat over the latest ignominy simmers down.