President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday said the August 9 rape and murder of a junior doctor in a Kolkata hospital has “dismayed and horrified” her, and asserted it is time for India to wake up to the “perversion” of crimes against women and counter the mindset that sees them as “less powerful, less capable, less intelligent”.
“Enough is enough. No civilised society can allow daughters and sisters to be subjected to such atrocities,” Murmu said, expressing anguish over crimes against women in an exclusive signed article for news agency Press Trust of India (PTI).
“In 12 years since Nirbhaya (the gangrape and murder of a Delhi woman in 2012), countless rapes have been forgotten… this ‘collective amnesia’ is obnoxious,” she said.
This was the President’s first public statement since the horrific incident at Kolkata’s RG Kar Hospital nearly twenty days ago.
Murmu said it is this objectification of women by a few that is behind the crimes against women,” which is “ingrained deeply”.
In her article, Murmu said the recent spate of crimes against women should force honest self-introspection to uncover the roots of the malaise. “I was dismayed and horrified when I came to hear of it,” she said, adding that it is more depressing that it is part of a series of crimes against women.
Murmu said: “The nation is bound to be outraged, and so am I.”
The President urged the media to be fearless while reporting, noting that the fourth estate plays a big role in shaping the country and society.
“Media ko nirbhikta se kam karna chaiye (media should work fearlessly),” she commented. “Kabhi satya se hatna nahi chaiye (It should never deviate from the truth).”
“You are a journalist but you are also a citizen. I too am a citizen. What you are concerned about, I am equally concerned about,” she remarked.
Murmu believed that India’s ambitious bid to host the 2036 Olympics is a step in the right direction as it would not just inspire people but also promote meritocracy in the country’s sporting landscape.
“I do like watching sports although I did not get too many opportunities to play. But when I could, I preferred Indian sports,” Murmu told PTI.
“The Olympics should definitely happen in India. It would inspire people and promote merit in sports,” the president, who also wrote an exclusive signed article for PTI on crimes against women, said.
A decision on the host country is not expected to be taken before 2026 and could even come in 2027 as the International Olympic Committee will initiate the process only after holding its elections next year.
The President’s comments came on a day that West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, whose government has been criticised by the Supreme Court, the civil society and opposition parties for its lackadaisical approach in the investigation, advocated capital punishment to the convicted.
Banerjee said an amendment to the existing laws will be passed in the State Assembly next week to ensure capital punishment to convicted rapists. She said that she would sit for dharna outside Raj Bhawan here if the governor delays in giving assent to the amended bill or forwards it to the President for ratification.
Meanwhile, daily life was partially affected in West Bengal on Wednesday due to a 12-hour shutdown called by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), protesting police action against demonstrators during a march to ‘Nabanna’, the state secretariat.
On Tuesday, clashes broke out between police and protesters in different parts of Kolkata and Howrah as the latter tried to march towards ‘Nabanna’ to demand Banerjee’s resignation.
First Published: Aug 28 2024 | 8:44 PM IST
