Shabana Azmi condemns Kolkata doctor's rape-murder; calls for dismantling patriarchy
What's the story
Veteran actor Shabana Azmi has expressed her shock and condemnation over the brutal rape and murder of a trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata earlier this month.
Speaking to the media after attending an event in Pune, Azmi called for an end to the commodification of women and a dismantling of deeply ingrained patriarchal norms.
The incident has sparked widespread outrage and demands for justice.
Azmi's reaction
Azmi calls incident 'extremely dangerous' and 'embarrassing'
Azmi described the incident as "extremely dangerous," adding that it was "embarrassing to see that these kinds of heinous acts have not been reduced despite the formation of the Justice Verma Committee back in 2012 during the Nirbhaya case."
"We should not treat women as commodities...we need to dismantle patriarchy which is deep-rooted in us," the actor expressed, as quoted by news agency ANI.
President's response
President Droupadi Murmu also expressed concern over rising rape cases
Earlier, President Droupadi Murmu also expressed dismay at the rise in rape cases in India.
She said she is "horrified" and strongly dismissed those who consider women "less powerful, less capable, less intelligent."
"Those who share such views then go further and see the female as an object... We owe it to our daughters to remove the hurdles from their path of winning freedom from fear," Murmu told news agency PTI.
Incident
Trainee doctor was raped and murdered at RG Kar Hospital
For the unversed, on August 9, a 31-year-old trainee doctor was raped and murdered at RG Kar Hospital in Kolkata. The heinous crime caused mass public outrage and protests across the city, with demands for swift action and a death penalty for the accused.
Several celebrities, including Kareena Kapoor Khan, Randeep Hooda, Alia Bhatt, Parineeti Chopra, John Abraham, Ayushmann Khurrana, Vivek Agnihotri, and Neena Gupta, have expressed their shock over the incident.
Bengali film stars also joined protests in Kolkata.