A year later, crowd spirit and size weigh on minds of ‘Reclaim the Night' protesters

Time of India

5 days ago

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Kolkata: The rape and murder of the young doctor on Aug 9 at her workplace served as an immediate catalyst for the 'Reclaim the Night' movement. However, the protests transcended this singular event, with women from all walks of life taking to the streets to oppose pervasive patriarchy, deep-rooted misogyny, and the dire need for secure spaces for women, not only in the workplace but also within the confines of their homes.
A year later, the spirit and size of the crowd weigh on the minds of protesters as they seek to reclaim the night again on Aug 14 in different parts of the city, such as Jadavpur, Ruby More, Shyambazar, Sinthi More, and Salt Lake. Rimjhim Sinha, the first voice to give a call for the 'Reclaim the Night' protest last year, said, "I thought that when we celebrate the Independence of the country, I would like to celebrate my independence as a woman and reclaim what is ours — the city, the night, the public spaces that patriarchal forces would rather consistently throw us out of.
Patriarchy is not about a certain gender or sexuality but it is a certain mentality that needs to be changed."
The night of Aug 14 became "historic" with massive and spontaneous participation from women from different social strata, across generations and ages, trans queer people, and people from marginalised gender communities. The rallies reverberated with slogans such as "the night is ours" and "meyera, raat dokhol koro," as women united to reclaim their right to safety and security during the night and sought freedom from fear and surveillance.
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The citizens' stir against the rape-murder, as well as victim-blaming and rape culture, continued for weeks until the Durga Puja, demonstrating the 'power of people' which the city had not witnessed in a long time. "Unprecedented" and "unpredictable" are the two adjectives that described the street protests, which have been characterised by their depth (number of people hitting the streets), their spread across locations, their non-partisan nature, and spontaneous sustainability.
Another prominent face of the 'Reclaim the Night' movement, Satabdi Das, said, "The numbers of protestors started to dip after the pujas as hitting the streets on a regular basis was not feasible and common people had to balance livelihood along with protest. Therefore, we organised night meetings and discussions on gender justice throughout this one year to keep the movement alive, which has its own identity, spirit, and 'banner'.
" She added, "We have a good number of first-timers in the movement with us and their personal journey is remarkable. Domestic violence victims are breaking free from their relationships. Closeted lesbians are coming out. A 61-year-old has planned her own business to do away with an abusive husband. Things are changing every day in the lives of the Reclaimers. Lastly, the camaraderie between the women and the trans and queer people is far more solidified now.
We will be observing the anniversary of 'Reclaim the Night' on Aug 14 this year at the Academy of Fine Arts."
Sinha highlighted that besides seeking justice for the victim, the movement demanded a few systemic changes. "Though with the passage of time, the gatherings became smaller, we have seen an increase in the participation of women. This year, too, we will observe one year of 'Reclaim the Night' through cultural protest at Jadavpur Coffee House."
Gargy Roy of Jadavpur Puratani-o-Sanghati feels, "The fight for justice and to root out rape culture has become more systematic in this one year. Common people are more conscious and aware of their rights and are not afraid to speak out against the wrongdoings. We have again given a call to reclaim the night on Aug 14 at Jadavpur 8B." Documentary filmmaker Ellora Debnath said they would observe the one-year anniversary of 'Reclaim the Night' at Ruby More from 9 pm.
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