New Delhi, Sep 1 The horrific rape and murder of a 31-year-old trainee doctor in Kolkata "is barbarity expressed in extremity, shaming humanity", and not an "occasion to vie with each other", Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar said on Sunday.
In his address at AIIMS Rishikesh, the Vice President lauded the healthcare community, and expressed a deep concern over the rising violence against the healthcare workers.
He also lashed out at "stray voices" that only "aggravate our excruciating pain".
"They are adding a bucket full of salt to our injured conscience," he said.
Dhankhar also slammed Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) President Kapil Sibal for calling the shameful incident a "symptomatic malaise" and suggesting that such incidents are commonplace.
"When it comes from someone who is a member of parliament or a senior advocate, then the culpability is of extreme degree. There can be no alibi for such demonising thoughts," the Vice President said.
"I call upon such misguided souls to revisit their thoughts and publicly tender an apology."
The Vice President also called out “certain NGOs” over their silence on this issue. He said their "silence is much worse than the culpable act of the perpetrators of this heinous crime".
"This is not an occasion to vie with each other, to earn brownie points or score political mileage, this is non-partisan," he said, while calling for a "concerted effort".
Vice President Dhankar’s comments reflect outrage by the medical fraternity over the incident in Kolkata.
Meanwhile, the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) on Saturday asked the Union government to implement the Healthcare Central Protection Act in the wake of ‘repeated’ physical and sexual assaults on medical professionals, particularly female doctors while on duty. During their protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, FAIMA President Dr Rohan Krishna said that although the act was in force during the Covid-19 crisis, it was not tabled in the Parliament and could not be implemented.
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