Following Doctor’s Rape and Murder, Indian Women Lead Night Protests

15-08-2024

On Wednesday night, tens of thousands of women took to the streets in West Bengal’s capital, Kolkata, to protest the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at a state-run hospital. The “Reclaim the Night” marchmarked the culmination of a week of protestssparked by the brutal killing of the 31-year-old doctorat RG Kar MedicalCollege the previous Friday.
In Kolkata, the determined protesters marched with placards, their faces illuminated by mobile phones, candles, and torches. Some carried the Indian flag, and they were joined by men of all ages. The protesters, gathered near a university, theatre, and bus terminus, chanted for justice, blowing conch shells—a sound considered auspicious in Indian culture.

The doctor, whohad been working a grueling 36-hour shift, wasfounddead by hercolleagues the followingmorning in a seminar room, whereshehadfallenasleep due to the lack of properrestfacilities. Her body wasdiscoveredpartiallyundressed and bearing extensive injuries. A hospitalvolunteer has since been arrested in connectionwith the crime.

In response to widespread calls on social media, womenfromvarious backgrounds participated in the march, whichtook place on a rainyWednesday night in Kolkata and across the state. Although the protestswerelargelypeaceful, tensions escalatedwhen a group of unidentified men stormed RG Kar Hospital, vandalizing the emergency department. The police usedteargas to disperse the crowd, and some police vehiclesweredamaged. Smallerprotestswerealsoreported in othercitiessuch as Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Pune.

At midnight, coinciding with India’s 77th Independence Day, the protests took on a new tone. The national anthem filled the air, followed by rain, whichdid not deter the participants fromcontinuingtheirmarch, umbrellas in hand. “We’veneverseenanythinglikethisbefore in the city,” a local reporter observed, noting the magnitude of the women’smarch.

A womanwhojoined the marchaftermidnightwithher 13-year-old daughterremarked, “I wanther to see if a mass protestcanbring about change. Sheneeds to know herrights.” Another participant expressed frustration, saying, “Women have no respect here! We are valuedlessthanlivestock.” A studentadded, “Whenwillwegetourindependence? How long must wewait to workwithoutfear—another 50 years?”

The protests were driven by anger over the local authorities’ handling of the doctor’s case. Although the police have arrested a hospitalvolunteer, there are accusations of negligence and a cover-up. The case has since been transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation.

This was not the first time India had witnessed a “Reclaim the Night” march. The first took place in 1978 in Bombay (nowMumbai) in protestagainst the rape of a woman on the street. Inspired by similarmovementsworldwide, the eventwas one of many efforts by women to asserttheir right to move freelywithoutfear. Midnightwalksorganized by Blank Noise, a community-based art project and activist collective, have taken place in Delhi for the same cause. However, in terms of scale, Kolkata’smarch, echoed by smallerprotestsacrossothercities, stands as the largest to date.

“Wereclaimed the night. We’veneverseenanythinglikethis in the city,” said protester Chaitali Sen. “This isunprecedented. I hopeitwakes up the authorities.”