“India can be considered free only when its womenfolk can walk alone at midnight unharmed.” - Mahatma Gandhi.

Well, INDEED!

As the nation is still grappling with the horrific murder and rape of trainee doctor Moumita Debnath, another devastating incident has emerged. A nurse was raped and killed while returning home from a private hospital in Uttarakhand, near the Uttar Pradesh border.

Timeline of events:

July 30, 2024: The nurse left the hospital in the evening and was last seen on CCTV footage taking an e-rickshaw from Indra Chowk in Rudrapur. However, she never made it to her rented accommodation on Kashipur Road in Bilaspur, Uttar Pradesh, where she lived with her 11-year-old daughter.

July 31, 2024: The nurse's sister filed a missing person report after she failed to return home.

August 8, 2024: The Uttar Pradesh police found the nurse’s body in an empty plot, approximately 1.5 km from her home in Dibdiba village.

The police promptly launched an investigation, tracing the victim's stolen mobile phone to the accused, Dharmendra, a daily wage labourer from Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh. He was arrested in Rajasthan on August 14.

According to police reports, Dharmendra, who was intoxicated, spotted the victim as she was about to enter her apartment building. He followed her, attacked her, and dragged her into nearby bushes. There, he raped and strangled her with her scarf. After committing the crime, he stole her mobile phone and cash money from her purse before fleeing the scene.

This brutal incident has occurred amid a nationwide outcry over the recent rape and murder of a female trainee doctor during her duty hours at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. The doctor’s semi-naked body was found in the seminar hall of the government-run hospital last week.

The nurse, like the trainee doctor, fought back but was tragically overpowered. Her death has reignited calls for better safety measures for healthcare workers, especially for doctors and nurses. Resident doctors across the country are protesting, demanding the swift passage of the Central Healthcare Protection Act to prevent attacks on medical personnel.

Source / Image Credit : NDTV, RajyaSameeksha