A huge number of ladies in West Bengal state walked through the roads on Wednesday night in challenge the assault and murder of a student specialist at a state-run emergency clinic in Kolkata last week.
The harrowing murder of the 31-year-old at the RG Kar Medical College on Friday marked the culmination of nearly a week’s worth of frantic protests.
She had fallen asleep in a seminar room without a designated rest area after a 36-hour workday.
Her coworkers found her badly injured, half-naked body on the podium the following morning. A clinic charitable worker has been captured regarding the wrongdoing.
Women from all walks of life marched through Kolkata and the state on a wet Wednesday night in response to social media calls.
Even though protests were mostly peaceful, a small group of unidentified men broke into the RG Kar Hospital, where the doctor was killed, and ransacked the emergency department.
The disorderly crowd was dispersed by police using tear gas. Damage also occurred to a few police vehicles.
Numerous other Indian cities, including Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Pune, also saw smaller protests.
Women marched resolutely in Kolkata, their faces illuminated by the glow of mobile phones, candlelight, and flaming torches, while holding placards of protest. India’s flags were carried by some. A number of young and old men joined them.
They stood together, holding hands, during the marches and at numerous gatherings near a university, theater, and bus stop as they chanted “we want justice” in the humid air. The sound of conch shells being blown by protesters is regarded as beneficial.
The soundscape of protest changed at midnight, as India celebrated 77 years of independence.
The air loaded up with an unconstrained ensemble of the public song of praise. The protesters either walked in the rain or carried umbrellas over their heads as it started to pour.
“We have seen nothing like this before in the city, such a colossal social event of ladies walking around evening time,” a journalist having a place with a news network said.
It was an evening of scarcely covered fury and disappointment.
A woman and her 13-year-old daughter joined the march well after midnight, according to the woman. Let her see whether a mass dissent can fix things. Allow her to become mindful of her freedoms”.
“Ladies have no regard!” another said, Our value is lower than that of goats and cows.”
“When do we get our freedom? How long do we need to hold back to work unafraid? A further fifty years? inquired a pupil.
According to Sanchari Mukherjee, the rain did not deter her from marching with thousands of others from a Jadavpur bus stop.
“People of all ages, from all classes, the well-off, the middle class, and the poor” were among the people she met.
She stated, “I saw an elderly couple, the husband helping the woman walk.”
“One family brought their daughter along, maybe so the memory of this occasion would be scratched in her see any problems – how her folks faced bad form, and how she, as well, can fight one day.”
According to Ms. Mukherjee, as the marchers passed by illuminated homes, people looked out of windows and crowded verandahs to watch, giving the impression that the entire city was awake.
She stated, “They may not have participated, but they were with us spirit.”
“It didn’t feel like just a slogan,” Ms. Mukherjee said. “We want justice” had become the march’s anthem.
“It seemed like every young woman was deeply hurt, determined, and frustrated that they still have to deal with these problems in 2024,”
Ms. Mukherjee went on to say that because the streets were jammed at night, she had to walk a few miles to join the march.
“I was immediately swept up in a sea of protesters heading to the location of the protest. A stoic determination to create an occasion that would serve as a symbol for the future reigned supreme rather than any excitement.”
The fights have been fuelled by indignation regarding neighborhood specialists’ treatment of the youthful learner specialist’s assault and murder.
A volunteer worker at the hospital was later detained by police in connection with what they claimed was a rape and murder case.
However, there have been allegations of concealment and carelessness. The case has since been moved from nearby police to the government Focal Department of Examination.
Notwithstanding insufficient assets, Kolkata’s Recover the Night walk seemed to have been fastidiously coordinated. The organizers invited women and people with marginalized sexual and gender identities to the march in an advisory.
The advisory added, “Men are welcome as allies and observers.”
Additionally, they emphasized that politicians were not welcome and requested that party flags not be brought to the demonstration.
Reclaim the Night marches have been held in India for a long time.
A march against the rape of a woman on the street was held in 1978 in Bombay (now Mumbai), inspired by similar marches by women to assert their rights to walk in public areas without fear.
In order to encourage women to assert their right to walk freely at night, the community-based art project and activist collective Blank Noise has organized several midnight walks in Delhi.
However, the largest march to date is the one in Kolkata, which was echoed by smaller marches in other cities.
“We held onto the evening. Nothing like this has ever been seen in the city. This is unheard of. A protester named Chaitali Sen stated, “I hope it wakes up the authorities.”
