A doctor named Shahnawaz and his ward boy Junaid allegedly raped a 20-year-old Dalit nurse after they held her captive at a private hospital in the Moradabad district. This incident, along with the recent brutal rape and murder of the Kolkata doctor, raises serious concerns about the safety of female medical professionals across the country.
Another Nurse Complicit
According to a complaint lodged by the nurse’s father, the assault occurred during the night of 17 and 18 August 2024 while the nurse was on duty. The complaint states that she began her shift at 7 p.m. on 17 August. Later that night, another nurse named Mehnaz instructed her to meet Dr. Shahnawaz in his room. When she declined, Mehnaz, along with a ward boy named Junaid, forcibly took her to a room on the top floor of the hospital and locked her inside.
Dr Shahnawaz then entered the room, locked it from the inside, and allegedly raped her. The complaint further claims that he threatened her life and used casteist slurs. Following the complaint, the Moradabad Police registered an FIR under relevant sections of the Bhartiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) and the SC/ST Act. Dr. Shahnawaz, Mehnaz, and Junaid were arrested.
Moradabad Superintendent of Police (SP) Rural, Sandeep Kumar Meena, confirmed that they filed a case and all suspects are in custody. He added that the woman had undergone a medical examination, the officials sealed the hospital, and they will take further actions based on the investigation’s findings.
In a statement to the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the nurse’s father has called for the death penalty for the accused. He explained that his daughter, who is also pursuing her graduation, had been working at the hospital for the past ten months without a salary, only receiving travel expenses. While she was on a night shift on 17 August, Mehnaz and Junaid sent her to the doctor’s room, where the assault took place.
After the incident, the nurse reported it to the morning shift nurse and subsequently informed her family, leading to the filing of the FIR.
‘The Hindu’ Secularizes Crime
The Hindu, while reporting the Moradabad rape, ensured that the caste of the nurse was made clear while concealing the identity of the perpetrators. There seems to be a pattern in mainstream reporting where they are comfortable revealing the victim’s caste if they are Dalits. However, such outlets are almost always reluctant to reveal the identity of the perpetrator if it is a Muslim. In this case, details about the Muslim doctor, the Muslim ward boy and the Muslim nurse who facilitated the crime have been left out seemingly by The Hindu.
While the article mentions details of the perpetrators somewhere in the paragraphs, they have left this detail in the headline that grabs the most attention. This type of narrative setting is prevalent in reportage by leftist mouthpieces like The News Minute and The Wire, which ensure the secularisation of crimes is done to a tee. The Hindu has also joined the bandwagon of such secular mouthpieces.
They deliberately hid the name of rapists but purposely highlighted the caste of the victim.
The names of the rapists are Junaid & Shahnawaz. pic.twitter.com/BC98hb7kt1
— Squint Neon (@TheSquind) August 20, 2024
Islamist Violence Against Dalits
While Islamist violence against Dalit women remains an agonising and persistent issue in India, the media must report such incidents with accuracy. It is their responsibility to present facts as they are to ensure justice for the victims and accountability for the perpetrators.
However, The Hindu has chosen to obscure the identities of the accused in the Moradabad rape case, potentially leading readers to assume the perpetrator was from the majority community wrongly. This deliberate omission misrepresents the situation and fails to address the reality that individuals from other communities often commit such crimes.
In the Moradabad rape case, the accused doctor not only inflicted harm but also used casteist slurs against the nurse, underscoring the specific caste-based nature of the violence.
(With inputs from India Today)
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