Rape and murder case in Calcutta: the statue of the victim unveiled at RG Kar hospital, internet users say, “very worrying”

Nearly two and a half months after the gruesome rape and murder of a post-graduate doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Hospital, a fresh controversy has erupted following the installation of a statue of a junior doctor near the building which houses the office of the director of RG Kar.

The statue, named “Cry of the Hour,” was installed on a pedestal near the hospital by the young doctors protesting the medical establishment. According to artist Asit Sain, the statue represents the victim’s last-minute horror.

Speaking to reporters, a young doctor at the hospital was quoted as saying by India today, “This statue is not that of the victim, but a symbol of the pain and torture she endured and ongoing protests.

However, the installation of the trainee doctor’s statue has now created controversy as several people have called it “disrespectful” and “disturbing”.

Here are some comments:

“You want his statue erected? Do it with something other than his dying face or something. Either way, it’s very disturbing,” one user tweeted.

“Doctors in this country are so tone deaf. Why would you make a statue like this based on a rape victim,” said another.

“Speechless at the insensitivity of this situation. Having your pain immortalized, being known only for having been sexually violated. I hope this disgusting statue is destroyed,” commented the third.

Even Trinamool Congress leader Kunal Ghosh criticized the doctors for installing the statue of the junior doctor. He stressed that this act went against the directives of the Supreme Court, which prohibit revealing the name and identity of the victim.

“No responsible person can do this. Not even in the name of art. There will be protests and demands for justice. But the statue does not match the face of the girl who is suffering. There are guidelines not to not use images or statues of the victims,” he tweeted.

Doctor’s reaction:

Dr Debdutt of RG Kar Hospital said, as quoted by the news site: “We have not broken any rule or neglected the court order. It is simply a symbolic sculpture and we do not want to represent it only. We want to show the authorities what happened and how she suffered. We will continue to fight for justice.

Earlier on August 9, a trainee doctor was raped and murdered at RG Kar Hospital in Kolkata. Following this, several protests took place in Kolkata and the case was handed over to the CBI for investigation.

The matter is sub judice and the Supreme Court hears this matter from time to time.