Kolkata, Jan 9 (PTI) Filmmaker Aparna Sen and 49 other prominent citizens of West Bengal on Thursday urged Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to incorporate changes in the existing system to ensure a safe environment for women to avert abuses and brutalities.

The demand was made in an open letter five months after the rape and murder of a medic at state-run R G Kar Medical College and Hospital here on August 9 last year.

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Sen, however, made it clear that their initiative is not specific to the RG Kar hospital incident that sparked an outrage nationwide.

"Many similar incidents had taken place at New Town, Bankura, Joynagar, Alipurduar and elsewhere before and after R G Kar and we want an end to all such hostilities," Sen told reporters at Press Club Kolkata where the open letter written by members of an organisation, 'Nagorik Chetona' (Citizens' Consciousness) was made available to the media.

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The violence inflicted upon women in our institutions and public spaces is not just a regional issue - it turned into a subject of national concern and this requires immediate and resolute action from the state and Bengal must set an example in this for the rest of the country, the letter said.

"While Kolkata has been recognised by the National Crime Records Bureau as the safest city in the country for women, the state occupies alarmingly high position in the country in violence, attacks and abuses against women.

“There is thus a gap between perception and reality as faced by many women in the state which needs to be bridged," she said at the press meet.

The veteran film actor and director said signatories of the letter do not represent political parties but a collective of citizens.

“After the R G Kar incident, people spontaneously hit the streets thinking it is their duty to rise in protest. We intend to tell the powers that be that we want infrastructural, systematic changes to ensure safety of women and also queer persons (who too consider themselves as women) at workplaces and public transport. We want the state to build up an awareness campaign in schools," Sen said.

Many were deeply disturbed and pained after the R G Kar incident and they want the state to adopt effective long-term measures to prevent a repeat, she said.

“We call for steps for the safety of women in the wake of R G Kar and similar happenings but we don't want anyone's resignation from the seat of power in the government," Sen said.

The charter of demands include constituting an internal complaints committee (ICC) in workplaces, regular training for committee members to ensure sensitive handling of cases.

The letter also advocated setting up a women's protection task force to handle cases involving gender-based violence, a cell comprising trained female police officers solely for FIRs related to sexual offences, police patrolling at frequent intervals on roads particularly after dark and separate facilities for policewomen at workplaces.

It also called for a mandatory due diligence process while recruiting civic volunteers including their psychological assessment. The sole accused in the RG Kar hospital rape-murder case, Sanjay Roy, is a civic volunteer.

Observing that "no government is perfect", Sen said, "There is a saying that we get the government we deserve. What I mean is it is our job to make the elected government choose the right path."

About the call made by a section of ruling party leaders not to allow artists to perform in New Year musical concerts for having allegedly used foul language against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at the height of R G Kar street protests, Sen said, some people make certain comments in such situations at individual level which had never been endorsed.

However, any demand for boycotting an artist is uncalled for, she said, "We will take up the issue with them (those who issued the call)."

Responding to the development, TMC leader Kunal Ghosh said Aparna Sen and other members of the platform must acknowledge the fact that West Bengal is the safest state for women and compare the situation here with Hathras, Unnao and other places in BJP-ruled states.

"Aparna Sen must be aware of the situation during the 34 years of Left rule when incidents like Bantala happened. Why doesn't she say anything about those days?" Ghosh told reporters.

Apart from Sen, her actor-daughter Konkona Sensharma, director Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury, actor-director Parambrata Chatterjee, actor Churni Ganguly, former Prasar Bharati CEO and ex-MP Jawhar Sircar, director Atanu Ghosh, writer Amit Chaudhuri, singer Iman Chakraborty, senior AIIMS doctor Rubia Mondal, social activist and one of the proponents of Reclaim the Night Movement on August 14, Rimjhim Sinha, were among the signatories in the letter to the CM.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)