West Bengal to rename workplace harassment panels as Abhaya Committees in medical colleges
Kalyani: Bengal Health Minister Shardwat Mukhopadhyay on Monday announced that all workplace harassment committees functioning in medical colleges, hospitals, and other establishments under the state health department would be renamed ‘Abhaya Committees’ in memory of the deceased doctor in the RG Kar rape and murder case.
According to the news reports, the minister said the government would initiate the necessary administrative steps to rename the existing Vishakha committees and harassment cells in accordance with the Supreme Court's guidelines.
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Mukhopadhyay also directed the authorities of Kalyani College of Medicine and JNM Hospital to immediately constitute an Abhaya Committee. He made it clear that the committee should comprise women members, with no male representation.
Emphasising the need to move beyond symbolic expressions of solidarity, Mukhopadhyay said that merely claiming to stand beside Abhaya’s mother, Ratna Debnath, was not enough. Instead, the administration should consider what concrete steps could be taken to support her. The announcement came during the inauguration of ‘Abhaya Udyan’, a garden created on the premises of Kalyani College of Medicine and JNM Hospital in memory of the deceased doctor, reports The Statesman.
The minister said the garden was intended to preserve Abhaya's memory, honour her love for plants and serve as a lasting symbol of women's safety. The garden has been landscaped with trees and saplings that she particularly liked.
Mukhopadhyay said Abhaya had passed her MBBS examination from JNM Hospital in 2017, making the institution an important part of her academic and professional journey. Since the institution did not have a dedicated memorial commemorating her association with the college, the authorities decided to develop the garden on its campus.
The health minister also announced that a proposal would be placed before the Chief Minister to name all libraries functioning under the state health department after Abhaya.
He said the initiative would help preserve her memory within the state's healthcare institutions.
Abhaya's mother and senior officials of Kalyani College of Medicine and JNM Hospital were present at the inauguration ceremony.
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