Massive nighttime protests after rape and murder of doctor

Tens of thousands of women took to the streets in the state of West Bengal on Wednesday evening to protest the rape and murder of a trainee doctor in a government hospital in Calcutta last week.

The “Reclaim the Night” march was the culmination of violent protests that lasted for nearly a week and were sparked by the brutal murder of the 31-year-old at RG Kar Medical College last Friday.

After a strenuous 36-hour shift, she fell asleep in a seminar room because there was no designated rest area.

The next morning, her colleagues discovered her half-naked body with severe injuries on the podium. A hospital volunteer was arrested in connection with the crime.

Responding to calls on social media, women from all walks of life marched through the city of Kolkata and across the state on a rainy Wednesday evening.

Although the protests were largely peaceful, there were clashes between police and a small group of unidentified men who entered RG Kar Hospital, the site of the doctor's murder, and vandalized the emergency room.

The police used tear gas to disperse the crowd. Some police vehicles were also damaged.

Smaller protests also took place in many other Indian cities such as Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Pune.

In Calcutta, women marched determinedly with protest placards, their faces lit by the glow of mobile phones, candlelight and torches. Some carried the Indian flag. They were joined by men, young and old.

During the demonstrations and at many gatherings near a university, a theater and a bus stop, they stood united, holding hands, while loud and powerful cries of “We want justice” echoed through the humid air. The protesters blew conch shells – the sound is considered an auspicious signal.

As India celebrated its 77th anniversary of independence, the sound of the protests changed with the stroke of midnight.

The air was filled with a spontaneous chorus of the national anthem. Then it started to rain, but the protesters walked in the rain or held umbrellas over their heads.

“We have never seen anything like this in the city, such a large gathering of women marching at night,” said a reporter from a news channel.

It was a night of barely concealed anger and frustration.

A woman who joined the march well after midnight with her 13-year-old daughter said: “Let them see if a mass protest can put things right. Let them become aware of their rights.”

“Women have no respect!” said another. “We are worth less than cows and goats.”

“When will we gain our independence? How long do we have to wait until we can work without fear? Another 50 years?” asks a student.

Sanchari Mukherjee said she and thousands of others marched from a bus station in Jadavpur and were undeterred by the rain.

She met “people of all ages, from all walks of life, wealthy, middle class and poor.”

“I saw an elderly couple, the man helping the woman walk,” she said.

“One family brought their young daughter, perhaps to etch the memory of this event in her mind – how her parents stood up against injustice and how she too can one day protest.”

According to Ms. Mukherjee, the whole city seemed awake as protesters passed by illuminated houses and people stood out of windows and on porches to watch.

“They may not have participated, but they were with us in spirit,” she said.

“'We want justice' had become the anthem of the march and did not feel like just a slogan,” Ms. Mukherjee said.

“It felt like every young woman was deeply hurt and determined, frustrated that they are still facing these issues in 2024.”

Ms. Mukherjee added that she had to walk several kilometers to take part in the march because the roads were congested until late at night.

“I was immediately swept away by a sea of ​​people streaming towards the protest site. There was no excitement, just a stoic determination to create an event that would become a symbol for times to come.”

The protests were sparked by anger over the way local authorities handled the rape and murder of the young junior doctor.

She fell asleep in a seminar room last Thursday after a 36-hour shift because there was no designated quiet area to sleep in.

The next morning, her colleagues discovered her half-naked body with severe injuries on the podium.

Police later arrested a hospital volunteer in connection with an alleged rape and murder case.

But there were allegations of cover-up and negligence. The case has now been handed over by local police to the federal Central Bureau of Investigation.

Despite scarce resources, the Reclaim the Night march in Kolkata appeared to have been carefully organized. In an announcement, organizers welcomed women and people with marginalized sexual and gender identities to the march.

“Men are welcome as allies and observers,” the statement continues.

They also stressed that politicians were not welcome and demanded that party flags not be brought to the protest rally.

It was not the first time that a “Reclaim the Night” march took place in India.

Inspired by similar protest marches by women in other parts of the world, demanding their right to move around in public spaces without fear, a protest march against the rape of a woman in the street took place in Bombay (now Mumbai) in 1978.

Blank Noise, a community-based art project and activist collective, has organized several midnight marches in Delhi to encourage women to stand up for their right to walk freely on the streets at night.

But in terms of size, the march in Calcutta, which was followed by smaller demonstrations in other cities, is the largest so far.

“We took advantage of the night. We have never seen anything like this in the city. This is unprecedented. I hope it wakes up the authorities,” said Chaitali Sen, a protester.