Shabana Azmi condemns Kolkata doctor rape-murder case: 'We should not treat women as commodities...'

Veteran actress Shabana Azmi has spoken about the brutal rape and murder of a trainee doctor in Kolkata, which happened earlier this month. While attending an event in Pune, Azmi urged people to stop treating women as commodities.

“Such incidents are extremely dangerous. It’s embarrassing to see that these kinds of heinous acts have not reduced despite the formation of 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,” she told ANI.

President Droupadi Murmu also reacted to the incident and penned an open letter. A part of which reads, “The gruesome incident of rape and murder of a doctor in Kolkata has left the nation shocked. I was dismayed and horrified when I came to hear of it. What is more depressing is the fact that it was not the only incident of its kind; it is part of a series of crimes against women. Even as students, doctors and citizens were protesting in Kolkata, criminals remained on the prowl elsewhere. The victims include even kindergarten girls. No civilised society can allow daughters and sisters to be subjected to such atrocities. The nation is bound to be outraged, and so am I.

Women’s Safety: Enough is Enough — writes President Droupadi Murmu on the recent spate of crimes against women.https://t.co/p8lVaqGd1K

She added, “On the occasion of Women’s Day last year, I had shared my thoughts and hopes about women’s empowerment in the form of a newspaper article. I remain an optimist, thanks to our past achievements in empowering women. I consider myself as an example of that spectacular journey of women empowerment in India. But I myself feel deeply anguished when I hear about brutality against women in any part of the country.”