Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar launched a fresh attack on Rajya Sabha MP and Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal today, condemning remarks made about the recent rape and murder of a doctor at a government hospital in Kolkata. Dhankhar described the incident as a profound disgrace to humanity and criticized “some stray voices” for worsening the situation.
Earlier, Dhankhar had addressed a public event where he mentioned that someone with a position in the Supreme Court Bar and also a member of Parliament had referred to the Kolkata incident as a “symptomatic malaise” and suggested that such incidents were not uncommon. This comment was directed at Sibal, who is the president of the Supreme Court Bar Association and is representing the Mamata Banerjee government in the ongoing case. Sibal reportedly used this expression in a resolution by the Supreme Court Bar Association.
At an event at AIIMS Rishikesh today, Dhankhar condemned such remarks, stating that incidents like the one in Kolkata bring shame to all of civilization. He said, “When humanity has been shamed, there are some stray voices, voices that cause concern. They only aggravate our excruciating pain. To put it mildly, they are adding salt to our injured conscience. When such statements come from a Member of Parliament and a senior advocate, the culpability is of an extreme degree.”
Dhankhar called for those with misguided views to reconsider and publicly apologize. He asserted, “There can be no alibi for such demonizing thoughts. I call upon such misguided souls to revisit their thoughts and publicly tender an apology. This is not an occasion where you should be looking through a political prism. This political prism is a dangerous one; it kills your objectivity.”
The Vice President also emphasized the need for the safety of doctors in their workplaces. He pointed out, “A doctor can help only to a limit. A doctor cannot transform into a god. He is next to God, so when somebody dies, due to emotive and uncontrolled feelings, doctors are not given the treatment they deserve… The security of doctors, nurses, compounders, and health warriors must be impregnable.”
Dhankhar criticized the “selective silence” of NGOs, saying, “Certain NGOs that are usually quick to respond to incidents are silent here. We must question them. Their silence is far worse than the culpable acts of the perpetrators of this heinous crime on August 9, 2024. Those who seek to play politics and gain brownie points are not responding to the call of their conscience.”
He urged that the situation should not be used for political gain but should prompt bipartisan efforts. “It is not an occasion to earn brownie points or score political mileage. This requires bipartisan concerted efforts. All stakeholders in democracy need to come together on one platform,” he added.
Earlier, President Droupadi Murmu had expressed her anguish over crimes against women, declaring, “Enough is enough.” She emphasized that India must confront the “perversion” of crimes against women and challenge the mindset that sees women as “less powerful, less capable, and less intelligent.”