Weeklong protest planned to observe the anniversary of RG Kar rape-murder

United News of India

a day ago

Kolkata, Aug 8 (UNI) Starting today, West Bengal is preparing for a fresh wave of protests to mark the first anniversary of the rape and murder of a woman junior doctor at RG Kar Medical College & Hospital in Kolkata last August.
The incident, which triggered massive outrage across the state last year, is set to reignite public anger as various groups plan demonstrations targeting both the state administration and the Central Bureau of Investigation.
The victim's body was discovered on the morning of August 9 last year inside a seminar hall on the hospital premises. While civic volunteer Sanjay Roy, the sole accused, has been sentenced to life imprisonment by a trial court, the CBI is yet to complete its probe into what it describes as a 'larger conspiracy' behind the crime.
This year's protests are expected to broaden their focus beyond the state government's role to also highlight the CBI's alleged inability to deliver a conclusive investigation.
The victim's parents have called for a Nabanna Abhijan (march to the state secretariat) on August 9, appealing to all political parties to join them in demanding justice. Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, who first proposed involving the family in the protest, has extended full support to the march.
On Wednesday, Adhikari accused the state government of mobilising the entire police force to block the procession, claiming that top IPS officers had been summoned for a special briefing in Howrah to plan large-scale road deployments.
The march itself became the subject of legal proceedings after a case was filed before a division bench of the Calcutta High Court where the bench of Justice Sujoy Paul and Justice Smita Das observed that peaceful protest and sit-in demonstrations are constitutional rights.
The court stated that the march could go ahead but noted that since the police had already issued prohibitory orders, they would be within their rights to take measures to stop it. At the same time, the judges advised participants to ensure that no government property was damaged and no police officer was harmed during the programme.
Several organisations, including the Joint Platform of Doctors (JPD), Medical Service Centre, service doctors affiliated to the All-India Democratic Students' Organisation (AIDSO), West Bengal Doctors' Forum and Association of Health Service Doctors, have announced protest programmes from August 8 to 15.
JPD convenor Punyabrata accused the state government of failing to protect women in hospitals and educational institutions, citing another rape incident in a law college in South Kolkata after the RG Kar case as evidence of the continuing crisis.
'This shows the urgent need to return to the streets to demand justice and hold the government accountable," Punyabrata told media. The protest schedule begins on August 8, when the West Bengal Junior Doctors' Forum (WBJDF) will take out a torch rally from College Square to Shyambazar, followed by a midnight sit-in at the Shyambazar five-point crossing.
On August 9, JPD and Abhaya Mancha will tie rakhis in the morning as a symbolic gesture for safety and security, before marching from Hazra crossing to Kalighat in the afternoon, near the Chief Minister's residence. The day will end with a gathering at RG Kar Medical College & Hospital.
Protests will continue until August 14, when doctors and citizens will hold rallies and meetings across the state. On the night before Independence Day, a 'Reclaim the Night' march will take place in different parts of Kolkata, with women and families taking to the streets to demand justice.
With emotions still raw a year after the crime, the anniversary is set to become both an act of remembrance and a renewed challenge to authorities at both the state and Central level, accused of failing to deliver a complete and convincing investigation.
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