The Congress has welcomed President Droupadi Murmu’s remarks on women’s safety but urged her to represent the nation’s outrage more broadly, rather than focusing on just one incident. President Murmu, expressing her shock and dismay at the rise in crimes against women, stated she is “dismayed and horrified” by these atrocities.

On Wednesday, President Murmu had publicly addressed the rape-murder of a trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. In an article titled “Women’s Safety: Enough is Enough”, she said, “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.”

President Murmu noted that while protests were ongoing in Kolkata, “criminals remained on prowl elsewhere.” She called for an “honest and unbiased self-introspection” from society, questioning why women are often seen as inferior.

“Those who share such views then go further and see the female as an object. We owe it to our daughters to remove the hurdles from their path of winning freedom from fear,” Murmu said.

Responding to Murmu’s statement, Congress leader Pawan Khera said, “We are very happy to see that the President has also intervened. It’s important for women’s safety that all of us talk about it and keep talking about it. The entire country is outraged.”

However, the outrage extends beyond Kolkata, he said, and urged Murmu to address other incidents as well.

“The President should also ensure that she talks not just about one incident; she should address other incidents too and get equally outraged about Farrukhabad where two Dalit girls were found hanging on Janmashtami, and about Maharashtra, where reports from Badlapur, Ratnagiri, Pune, Kolhapur, and Jodhpur have also shaken the country,” the Congress spokesperson wrote in a post on X.

“You need to come forward and get justice for the women facing sexual assaults in Manipur and women wrestlers. You need to look beyond party politics. Show courage to hold accountable not only the opposition, but also the ruling BJP and its double-engine governments (in states),” his post added.

However, the President did note that while there have been many similar tragedies, only a few have received nationwide attention. “Did we learn our lessons? As social protests faded, these incidents were buried in a deep recess of memory, only to resurface with new heinous crimes,” Murmu said.

She added, “In the 12 years since Nirbhaya, countless rapes have been forgotten, and this ‘collective amnesia’ is obnoxious.”