‘Don’t Go Out Alone At Night’: Assam Hospital Issues Advisory For Female Docs & Students, Forced To Make U-Turn

Guwahati: Amid nationwide protests over a 31-year-old junior doctor’s sexual assault and murdered at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College & Hospital, a state-run medical college in Assam issued a bizarre advisory for female doctors and students, advising them to “avoid situations where they are alone.”

Advising women to avoid going off-campus during late or odd hours, the Silchar Medical College & Hospital memo stated: “Female doctors, students, and staff should generally avoid isolated, poorly lit, and sparsely populated areas. Female doctors, students, and staff should, as much as possible, avoid situations where they are alone.”

The advisory triggered a massive backlash not only on the campus but on social media as well.

So much so that Silchar Medical College & Hospital had to withdraw the ‘regressive’ advisory after Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma spoke to the principal saying it wasn’t “warranted”.

The hospital administration said it issues the advisory in view of the tragic incident at the medical college in Kolkata, but netizens tagged it as ‘misogynistic’ and said that the college administration should focus on ensuring safety of women on campus instead of listing do’s and don’ts.

“While on duty, you should be well composed emotionally, remain alert about the surroundings and should graciously interact with the public, so that you don’t attract unnecessary attention of unscrupulous people,” the Silchar medical college authorities advised.

Reacting strongly, one social media user wrote, “The advisory should be for the men and not women,” while another user asked, “Can any female doctor feel safe even at their own workplace reading such notices?”