hocking news spread rapidly across India on August 24th, 2024: A 31-year-old female trainee doctor at a medical college in Kolkata was brutally raped and murdered while resting after an exhausting late–night shift. This horrific incident sparked national outrage, laying bare the country’s ongoing struggle with gender–based violence and exposing the deep institutional failures that have undermined meaningful reform.
DisinfoLab, a student–led research lab at William & Mary, contends that policy change and public pressure alone are not enough to prevent future instances of gender–based violence in India. Highly visible instances, such as the 2024 Kolkata murder, often prompt public outcry and government action. However, targeted institutional reform that addresses the public’s corruption accusations is needed to create meaningful change.
Two Viral Tragedies: 2012 and 2024
The loss in August resembled a case twelve years earlier when a 23–year–old female physiotherapy student was assaulted and raped on a bus in New Delhi, dying days later. After immense public pressure following the attack, the Government of India enacted reforms, including punishment escalation for perpetrators and devoting resources to improve public transportation.
Despite economic and political advancements in the past decade, India has failed to curb this alarming trend. The country records an average of 86 reported rape cases per day, with many more likely going unreported. According to the 2023–2024 Women Peace and Security Index, India ranks 128th out of 177 countries in terms of women’s inclusion, justice, and security in society.
The instant virality of the Kolkata tragedy thrust gender–based violence back into the spotlight, driving Indians into the streets to demand better treatment for women. This mobilization prompted government action, including the passage of the “Aparajita Woman and Child Bill 2024” and the launch of the SHe–Box portal for reporting workplace harassment. However, the government did little to address specific corruption concerns, a key topic identified by DisinfoLab’s comment analysis.
Methodology
DisinfoLab identified nine of the top viral Facebook posts about the 2024 Kolkata case, including 8,084 total comments in English, Hindi, and Bengali. The content of the posts ranged from artistic protests through dance and singing to citizens chanting for justice. Next, we translated each comment into English and systematically grouped similar comments using the k–means clustering algorithm. After analyzing the full comment data, we obtained eight comment categories: Generic Support, Calls for Justice, Corruption Concerns, Protest Support, Sympathy, Vengeance Seeking, Unsupportive, and Other.
Unity in Outrage Pushes Government to Act
Facebook was used not only to celebrate those raising awareness through creative means but also as a platform to expose corruption allegations and demand reform.
The largest category was “General Support” making up 27.36% of comments, where social media users expressed approval for posts mourning the victim’s murder. Many of these comments, often consisting of single–word statements like “great” and “excellent,” signaled widespread support for messages of sympathy and hope for justice. The second largest category, “Calls for Justice” made up 22.39% of comments. These were similarly supportive but explicitly demanded accountability and legal action.
Only 1.39% of comments were unsupportive of the cause, including victim blaming, silencing, or minimizing the crime. The absence of these comments further demonstrates unified public sentiment. This overwhelming consensus likely played a role in prompting the government to enact stricter laws.
The Corruption Accusations Underlying Calls for Justice
What current government action fails to address is the third largest category: corruption concerns, making up 14.18% of comments.
Commenters called attention to the handling of the case, particularly regarding misconduct. One commenter stated, “This creature [police] is one of the main culprits to shield the real criminal, it revealed the name of the victims in public, and also tried to influence the case by saying its a suicide.” This accusation referenced claims by the victim’s father that when the death was first announced authorities claimed it was a suicide—which some worry was an attempt to conceal the crime.
Additionally, commenters accused officials of mishandling evidence relating to the crime. One Facebook user went so far as to say “Kolkata police played the most vital role in deleting evidence from rg kar....shammmmeeee”. Such concerns reflect allegations that the former principal of RG Kar Medical College and the station house officer (who initially investigated the rape and murder) tried to cover up evidence. These individuals were arrested by India’s Central Bureau of Investigation on these charges.
Specific allegations of corruption—against the police, the government, and the hospital administration—appeared repeatedly in our comment data. The frequency and intensity of these accusations suggest that a significant portion of Facebook users in India attribute the persistence of such crimes to deep-rooted institutional failure.
In response to this specific instance, the Health Ministry increased security by 25% at Union hospitals. However, accusations about police and government misconduct remain unaddressed. These concerns create a feeling of mistrust, exemplified by a comment in part stating, “WB police has no credibility and trustworthy very sad to say that.”
Addressing Public Concerns Starts With Police Accountability
Viral comments responding to the murder demanded justice for the victim and government action, likely pushing the government to enact large–scale reforms. The reactionary reforms passed in 2024 mirror those passed after the 2012 Delhi murder, which ultimately failed to prevent future crimes. Data reveals that conviction rates for rape charges in India, between 2018 and 2022, were only 27%-28%. Reforms also leave concerns about police and government corruption largely unaddressed.
The first step towards institutional reform should be increasing police accountability. Policymakers should thoroughly investigate Facebook users’ specific corruption concerns regarding evidence tampering and falsely reporting facts of the case, and create targeted solutions if they are found to be true. These include community oversight of policing to ensure transparent reporting of facts along with sensitivity training to facilitate evidence collection and victim counseling.
To stop the cycle, accountability mechanisms must be deeply ingrained into institutions from the top level of government to local police. Public pressure and government action fail to curb gender–based violence without addressing the roots of corruption accusations.
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Accusations of corruption, calls for justice for women in Kolkata
Protestors in R.G. Kar Hospital Rape and Murder protest march in September, 2024. Image courtesy of Porshi Photographer on Wikimedia Commons. CC BY 4.0
April 3, 2025
Gender–based violence remains a problem throughout India and likely will without targeted institutional reform. DisinfoLab W&M analysis of Facebook comments following a 2024 rape and murder in Kolkata found widespread accusations of local corruption surrounding the violence.
S
hocking news spread rapidly across India on August 24th, 2024: A 31-year-old female trainee doctor at a medical college in Kolkata was brutally raped and murdered while resting after an exhausting late–night shift. This horrific incident sparked national outrage, laying bare the country’s ongoing struggle with gender–based violence and exposing the deep institutional failures that have undermined meaningful reform.
DisinfoLab, a student–led research lab at William & Mary, contends that policy change and public pressure alone are not enough to prevent future instances of gender–based violence in India. Highly visible instances, such as the 2024 Kolkata murder, often prompt public outcry and government action. However, targeted institutional reform that addresses the public’s corruption accusations is needed to create meaningful change.
Two Viral Tragedies: 2012 and 2024
The loss in August resembled a case twelve years earlier when a 23–year–old female physiotherapy student was assaulted and raped on a bus in New Delhi, dying days later. After immense public pressure following the attack, the Government of India enacted reforms, including punishment escalation for perpetrators and devoting resources to improve public transportation.
Despite economic and political advancements in the past decade, India has failed to curb this alarming trend. The country records an average of 86 reported rape cases per day, with many more likely going unreported. According to the 2023–2024 Women Peace and Security Index, India ranks 128th out of 177 countries in terms of women’s inclusion, justice, and security in society.
The instant virality of the Kolkata tragedy thrust gender–based violence back into the spotlight, driving Indians into the streets to demand better treatment for women. This mobilization prompted government action, including the passage of the “Aparajita Woman and Child Bill 2024” and the launch of the SHe–Box portal for reporting workplace harassment. However, the government did little to address specific corruption concerns, a key topic identified by DisinfoLab’s comment analysis.
Methodology
DisinfoLab identified nine of the top viral Facebook posts about the 2024 Kolkata case, including 8,084 total comments in English, Hindi, and Bengali. The content of the posts ranged from artistic protests through dance and singing to citizens chanting for justice. Next, we translated each comment into English and systematically grouped similar comments using the k–means clustering algorithm. After analyzing the full comment data, we obtained eight comment categories: Generic Support, Calls for Justice, Corruption Concerns, Protest Support, Sympathy, Vengeance Seeking, Unsupportive, and Other.
Unity in Outrage Pushes Government to Act
Facebook was used not only to celebrate those raising awareness through creative means but also as a platform to expose corruption allegations and demand reform.
The largest category was “General Support” making up 27.36% of comments, where social media users expressed approval for posts mourning the victim’s murder. Many of these comments, often consisting of single–word statements like “great” and “excellent,” signaled widespread support for messages of sympathy and hope for justice. The second largest category, “Calls for Justice” made up 22.39% of comments. These were similarly supportive but explicitly demanded accountability and legal action.
Only 1.39% of comments were unsupportive of the cause, including victim blaming, silencing, or minimizing the crime. The absence of these comments further demonstrates unified public sentiment. This overwhelming consensus likely played a role in prompting the government to enact stricter laws.
The Corruption Accusations Underlying Calls for Justice
What current government action fails to address is the third largest category: corruption concerns, making up 14.18% of comments.
Commenters called attention to the handling of the case, particularly regarding misconduct. One commenter stated, “This creature [police] is one of the main culprits to shield the real criminal, it revealed the name of the victims in public, and also tried to influence the case by saying its a suicide.” This accusation referenced claims by the victim’s father that when the death was first announced authorities claimed it was a suicide—which some worry was an attempt to conceal the crime.
Additionally, commenters accused officials of mishandling evidence relating to the crime. One Facebook user went so far as to say “Kolkata police played the most vital role in deleting evidence from rg kar....shammmmeeee”. Such concerns reflect allegations that the former principal of RG Kar Medical College and the station house officer (who initially investigated the rape and murder) tried to cover up evidence. These individuals were arrested by India’s Central Bureau of Investigation on these charges.
Specific allegations of corruption—against the police, the government, and the hospital administration—appeared repeatedly in our comment data. The frequency and intensity of these accusations suggest that a significant portion of Facebook users in India attribute the persistence of such crimes to deep-rooted institutional failure.
In response to this specific instance, the Health Ministry increased security by 25% at Union hospitals. However, accusations about police and government misconduct remain unaddressed. These concerns create a feeling of mistrust, exemplified by a comment in part stating, “WB police has no credibility and trustworthy very sad to say that.”
Addressing Public Concerns Starts With Police Accountability
Viral comments responding to the murder demanded justice for the victim and government action, likely pushing the government to enact large–scale reforms. The reactionary reforms passed in 2024 mirror those passed after the 2012 Delhi murder, which ultimately failed to prevent future crimes. Data reveals that conviction rates for rape charges in India, between 2018 and 2022, were only 27%-28%. Reforms also leave concerns about police and government corruption largely unaddressed.
The first step towards institutional reform should be increasing police accountability. Policymakers should thoroughly investigate Facebook users’ specific corruption concerns regarding evidence tampering and falsely reporting facts of the case, and create targeted solutions if they are found to be true. These include community oversight of policing to ensure transparent reporting of facts along with sensitivity training to facilitate evidence collection and victim counseling.
To stop the cycle, accountability mechanisms must be deeply ingrained into institutions from the top level of government to local police. Public pressure and government action fail to curb gender–based violence without addressing the roots of corruption accusations.
