DEI comes into focus again
The horrendous rape and murder of a 31-year-old trainee doctor at the RG Kar Hospital in Kolkata has once again put the spotlight on the unsafe environment for women in today’s India. Her father’s account of how he had to wait at the hospital for three hours before his daughter’s body, wrapped in only a bedsheet, was handed over to him, is gut wrenching. The autopsy found clear evidence of sexual assault and strangulation. For the misogynists who always point the accusing finger at the woman when a rape occurs… why was she out so late in the night, why was she dressed like that and such gibberish, the question needs to be asked: If a trainee doctor who had gone to the seminar hall to rest during her 36-hour-long shift is not safe in a state-run hospital, then what hope of safety is there for the more vulnerable girls/women in India? A positive fallout of this gruesome crime is women of Kolkata coming out in huge numbers to reclaim their space and ask some very tough questions to the state government headed by a woman chief minister. The investigation is on, but the nexus of the assaulters with people in power is suspected. The spontaneous eruption of anguish and outrage in Kolkata is a pointer that young women are fighting back.
While hoping for the harshest punishment to the perpetrators of this crime, the triumph and heartbreak of another woman, who came out on the streets to demand justice and punishment for another powerful person for sexually harassing her, and other women wrestlers, come into focus. Instead of justice, Vinesh Phogat, and other protesting wrestlers, got thrashing, in full public view, from police personnel for their courageous battle against sexual harassment. Yet she continued, and finally made it to the Paris Olympics, swelling our hearts with collective joy and pride by defeating the undefeatable Japanese wrestler in the semifinals. As a billion-plus Indians dreamt of her bagging our only gold medal in Paris, came the heartbreaking news of her disqualification from the Olympics itself, for failing the weigh-in test by a measly 100gm in the 50kg category. The very logical question of why she couldn’t get at least a silver medal for winning the semifinal fair and square was answered by the Court of Arbitration for Sports which dismissed her appeal. According to the rules, “a wrestler must not only be eligible at the beginning of a competition but must also remain eligible for the whole of the competition, that is, from entry to the finals.”
Whatever the verdict, medal or no medal, in our eyes, particularly Indian women who know how the systems in our country are loaded against the “second sex”, Vinesh has emerged a champion. She took on an entire establishment, fought against powerful people, did not get justice and yet persisted with her dream to reach the peak of excellence at the Paris Olympics. This is no mean achievement. She will continue to be a hero for all Indian women, particularly those, who suffer sexual innuendos, harassment, and molestation in their work environment. Vinesh needs to be cheered by Rotarians who really believe in the DEI mantra.
Rasheeda Bhagat
