International

Rape-Murder: Indian Woman Storm Out En Masse to Protest.

Published

3 months ago

Aug 15, 2024.

Indian women have taken to the streets of West Bengal to protest the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College.

The “Reclaim the Night” march, which culminated nearly a week of intense protests, was sparked by the brutal killing of the 31-year-old doctor, whose body was discovered in a seminar room after a grueling 36-hour shift.

A hospital volunteer worker has since been arrested in connection with the crime.

Responding to social media calls, women from all walks of life marched across Kolkata and throughout the state, despite the rainy weather.

Though largely peaceful, the protests were marred by clashes at RG Kar Hospital, where unidentified men ransacked the emergency department, prompting police to fire tear gas.

Smaller protests also occurred in cities like Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Pune.

In Kolkata, the women marched resolutely, holding placards, mobile phones, candles, and flaming torches.

Men of all ages joined them, and together, they filled the humid night air with powerful chants of “we want justice.”

As the clock struck midnight, marking India’s 77th Independence Day, the protesters broke into a spontaneous chorus of the national anthem before continuing their march, undeterred by the rain.

“We have never seen anything like this before in the city, such a huge gathering of women marching at night,” remarked a reporter.

The mood was one of barely concealed rage and frustration. One woman, who joined the march with her 13-year-old daughter, explained, “Let her see whether a mass protest can set things right.

Let her become aware of her rights.” Another protester added, “Women have no respect! Our worth is less than cows and goats. When do we get our independence? How long do we have to wait to work without fear? Another 50 years?”

Sanchari Mukherjee, one of the marchers, described how she joined thousands of others from a bus terminus in Jadavpur, undeterred by the rain.

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She encountered people from all walks of life, including an elderly couple and families with young children. “I saw an elderly couple, the husband helping the woman to walk,” she recalled.

“One family brought their little girl along, perhaps so the memory of this event would be etched in her mind—how her parents stood up against injustice, and how she, too, can protest one day.”

Ms. Mukherjee noted that the entire city seemed awake as marchers passed by illuminated homes, with residents peering out of windows and crowding verandahs to watch. “They may not have participated, but they were with us in spirit,” she said.

Jeet Sengupta, another protester, noted that young people shouted slogans against workplace harassment. “‘We want justice’ had become the anthem of the march, and it didn’t feel like just a slogan,” Ms. Mukherjee said.

“It felt like every young woman was deeply hurt and determined, frustrated that they still face these issues in 2024.” She added that she had to walk several miles to reach the protest site due to the gridlocked streets. “I was instantly swept up in a sea of people heading to the protest site.

There was no excitement, just a stoic determination to create an event that would become a symbol for the times to come.”

The protests have been fueled by anger over the local authorities’ handling of the doctor’s rape and murder. The case has since been transferred from local police to the federal Central Bureau of Investigation amid accusations of cover-up and negligence.

Despite limited resources, Kolkata’s “Reclaim the Night” march appeared meticulously organized.

Organizers welcomed women and marginalized gender identities to participate, while men were invited as allies and observers.

They emphasized that politicians were not welcome and requested that no party flags be brought to the protest.

This is not the first time such a march has taken place in India. Inspired by similar events worldwide, the first “Reclaim the Night” march in India was held in 1978 in Bombay (now Mumbai) to protest the rape of a woman on the street.

Blank Noise, an activist collective, has also organized several midnight walks in Delhi to encourage women to assert their right to walk freely at night.

However, the scale of the Kolkata march, echoed by smaller ones across other cities, makes it the largest yet.

“We seized the night. We’ve never seen anything like this in the city. This is unprecedented. I hope it wakes up the authorities,” said protester Chaitali Sen.

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