Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and a Congress leader, addressed the horrific rape and murder of a female doctor at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on Wednesday. He criticized the focus on protecting the accused rather than delivering justice for the victim, raising serious concerns about the hospital and local administration. Gandhi's remarks followed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) taking over the case the previous day. Just two days earlier, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had urged the West Bengal government, led by Mamata Banerjee, to take decisive action and ensure justice for the victim.
In a post on X, Gandhi expressed shock at the brutality of the incident, highlighting the atmosphere of fear among the medical community and women. He questioned the efficacy of stringent laws enacted after the Nirbhaya case, asking why such crimes continue to occur. Gandhi emphasized that a broader societal dialogue and concrete measures are needed to address the rise in violence against women, citing incidents from Hathras to Unnao and Kathua to Kolkata. He expressed solidarity with the victim's family, calling for justice and a punishment for the culprits that serves as a deterrent to others. Protests erupted at hospitals across the nation following the discovery of the woman's body on Friday morning. The next day, a civic volunteer was arrested in connection with her alleged rape and murder.