Tens of thousands of women in West Bengal state marched through the streets of India on Wednesday night in protest against the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at a state-run hospital in Kolkata last week.
The Reclaim the Night march was the culmination of nearly a week of frenzied protests ignited by the brutal killing of the 31-year-old at the RG Kar Medical College last Friday.
After a grueling 36-hour shift, she had fallen asleep in a seminar room due to the lack of a designated rest area.
The next morning, her colleagues discovered her half-naked body on the podium, bearing extensive injuries. A hospital volunteer worker has been arrested in connection with the crime.
Responding to calls on social media, women from all walks of life marched across Kolkata city and throughout the state on a rainy Wednesday night.
Though protests were largely peaceful, they were marred by clashes between the police and a small group of unidentified men who barged into the RG Kar Hospital, the site of the doctor’s murder, and ransacked the emergency department.
Police fired tear gas to disperse the unruly crowd. Some police vehicles were also damaged.
Smaller protests were also held in many other Indian cities like Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Pune.
In Kolkata, women marched resolutely, holding placards of protest, their faces illuminated by the glow of mobile phones, candlelight and flaming torches. Some carried India’s flags. They were joined by men, both young and elderly.
During the marches and at many gatherings near a university, theatre hall and bus terminus, they stood united, holding hands as the humid air echoed with loud and powerful chants of “we want justice”. Protesters blew conch shells – the sound is considered auspicious.
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At the stroke of midnight, as India completed 77 years of Independence, the soundscape of protest changed.
The air filled with a spontaneous chorus of the national anthem. Then it began raining, but the protesters walked in the rain, or holding umbrellas over their head.
“We have never seen anything like this before in the city, such a huge gathering of women marching at night,” a reporter belonging to a news network said.
It was a night of barely concealed rage and frustration.
A woman, who joined the march well after midnight with her 13-year-old daughter said: “Let her see whether a mass protest can set things right. Let her become aware of her rights”.
“Women have no respect!” said another.
“Our worth is less than cows and goats,” she added.
“When do we get our independence? How long do we have to wait to work without fear? Another 50 years?” asked a student.
Sanchari Mukherjee said she marched with thousands of others from a bus terminus in Jadavpur, undeterred by the rain.
“It felt like every young woman was deeply hurt and determined, frustrated that they still face these issues in 2024,” she said.
Ms Mukherjee added that she had to walk a few miles to join the march because the streets were gridlocked late at night.
“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 which would become a symbol for the times to come,” she added.
The protests have been fueled by anger over local authorities’ handling of the young trainee doctor’s rape and murder.
Police later arrested a hospital volunteer worker in connection with what they said was a case of rape and murder.
But there have been accusations of cover-up and negligence. The case has since been transferred from local police to the federal Central Bureau of Investigation.
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