Kolkata: Facing widespread criticism following the rape and murder of a 31-year-old trainee doctor at Kolkata’s government-run RG Kar Hospital, the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal has launched a flagship programme for the safety of women working night shifts across the state.
In a two-page release from the state secretariat Saturday the government of West Bengal flagged off ‘Ratirrer Shathi’, or night helpers, with the aim to provide safe working space for women.
Under this, the government has drawn up specific measures, particularly for government colleges and hostels, while also encouraging private institutions to adopt them. These include limiting the working hours of women doctors to a maximum of 12 hours and avoiding assigning them night duty as much as possible.
The programme mandates security checks and breathalyser tests at medical colleges and hospitals, super speciality hospitals, and district hospitals. It also requires separate rest rooms with toilets for women. Women volunteers, called ‘Ratirrer Shathi,’ will be deployed at night and they will also identify safe zones within colleges, hospitals and hostels. A special mobile app will be introduced with the same name and will feature an alarm linked to the local police station. Helplines 100 and 112 will be utilised for emergencies. It also adds that all organisations are required to set up a Vishaka Committee to address cases of sexual harassment, if they don’t already have one.
The government will also implement night patrols within medical colleges, hospitals, and women’s hostels. According to the programme, ID cards should be mandatory for all staff and faculty and must be prominently displayed. Additionally, security teams should include both male and female guards.
Speaking to ThePrint, women’s rights activist Anindita Sarbadhikari told ThePrint, such guidelines are usually not followed. “Unless there is a penalty for not following norms, guidelines are never really imposed on ground. Maybe for a few days or months, and then it’s back to square one. Who will be accountable if these guidelines are not followed strictly? There lies the problem.”
The Mamata Banerjee government has been facing flak for the rape-murder of the trainee doctor on night duty whose body was discovered inside a seminar hall on 9 August.
Within 24 hours, the police had arrested Sanjay Roy, a Kolkata Police civic volunteer who was spotted in the corridor during the early morning hours when the building was supposed to be under night watch by security guards and police.
(Edited by Zinnia Ray Chaudhuri)
Also read: Kolkata Police’s reputation hits a new low with RG Kar rape-murder transferred to CBI
Ms. Sreyashi Dey seems to have gotten over her fanboy phase. Her Twitter (X) account clearly gives the impression that she was a fanboy of Ms. Mamata Banerjee. Things seem to have changed now.
Good for her and for The Print.