Google trends reveal disturbing surge in porn searches following brutal rape of Kolkata doctor

India was recently shaken by the brutal murder of a 31-year-old doctor-trainee, who was found dead on August 9, 2024, in a lecture hall at R.G. Kar Medical College in Kolkata. The victim was raped, strangled, and suffered extreme violence allegedly at the hands of Sanjay Roy and possibly others during her shift.

As protests erupted across the country demanding justice and protection for women, a disturbing parallel narrative emerged online — an alarming surge in pornographic searches linked to the rumors of her rape being filmed.

According to data from Google Trends, searches for terms like “*victim’s name* rape video” and “*victim’s name* porn” spiked as the news spread. This grotesque phenomenon reflects a troubling trend where incidents of sexual violence are followed by an explosion of online curiosity, particularly around alleged rape footage. The case of a veterinary doctor raped and murdered in 2019 also saw a similar trend of millions of searches for her name on pornographic sites.
The search for such content is not only a deplorable act against the victim and her family, but it also is a reflection of a far deeper tendency of objectifying women and normalising violence against them. The fact that the Kolkata doctor-trainee’s name, associated with such a horrific crime, is trending on porn websites speaks to the extent of the desensitisation to sexual violence even in this day and age. What should have been a moment of mourning and demands for justice instead became fodder for voyeuristic consumption, treating the violation of a woman’s body as entertainment.

This issue also raises critical concerns about the responsibilities of internet platforms. While companies like Google and social media giants have policies to control explicit content, the virality of these searches often outpaces enforcement. Pornographic websites are particularly culpable, as they struggle to manage the line between consensual content and exploitative material. In this case, searches on XVideos-India serve as a grim reminder of the failures of these platforms to prevent the sexualization of violent crimes.

Public response to the young doctor’s murder has been strong, with protests led by medical professionals and several other groups calling for systemic reforms to prevent sexual violence against women. The Indian Medical Association (IMA) even organised a national strike, demanding better safety measures for healthcare workers.
However, the online exploitation of the victim’s name could point to a deeper psuchological issue — one where the digital space becomes a battleground for gendered violence and its normalisation. Addressing this requires more than just laws and stricter regulation. It calls for a cultural shift that inhibits commodification of women’s suffering and a reckonning with the root causes of this behaviour.

As India seeks justice for the deceased, the fight must also extend to the online world. The disturbing trend of searching for rape videos underscores the need for a broader conversation on the desensitisation to violence against women and the role of digital platforms in enabling it. True justice for the doctor means confronting these behvioural issues and challenging the narratives and behaviours that perpetuate violence — both offline and online.