Friday, 20 September 2024
Friday, 20 September 2024
A leaderless churn, not a political movement
As thousands of people across Bengal marched on Wednesday night in an echo of the Reclaim the Night campaign of August 14, a few things became clear about the movement demanding justice for the doctor raped and murdered at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Calutta last month.
The first was that this is a churn.
Political party flags were notably absent. Instead, protesters held the national flag aloft. In earlier protests, politicians have been heckled when they tried to join in, including high court judge-turned-BJP leader Abhijit Ganguly.
Yes, there are WhatsApp groups where protests are being planned; yes, there are social media posts being designed to stoke the outrage. But the movement has no leaders in the traditional, political sense of the word.
At various spots in and around Calcutta on Wednesday night, women from all walks of life – actors, students, professionals and homemakers – marched together carrying posters and candles, their voices rising in unison.
At Sealdah Station, pavement dwellers joined the demonstration, with some women blowing conch shells, a traditional symbol of resistance and defiance. The sound resonated through the station.
Not just Calcutta, all of Bengal wants justice
The demand for justice in one of the most shocking crimes in Calcutta’s recent memory has spread beyond the capital of Bengal, it was evident from Wednesday night’s protest.
Across the state, from small towns to bustling cities, the air reverberated with the rallying cry: "We want justice".
The movement spread to other key locations in various district towns, including Berhampore, Chinsurah, Santiniketan, Krishnanagar, Bardhaman, Siliguri, Barasat, Barrackpore, Rajarhat-Newtown, Cooch Behar, Mathabhanga, Narendrapur and Jalpaiguri.
Rituparna heckled; celebs beware
Actor Rituparna Sengupta faced hostility from a group of protesters at Shyambazar as she arrived at the protest venue.
When she attempted to address the crowd, protestors shouted: "Go back."
As the situation escalated, the police and Sengupta's bodyguards escorted her to her vehicle, which then left the area.
Earlier, she was widely trolled for a social media post in which she was fake-blowing a conch shell. She had to eventually delete the post.
TV funnyman-turned-Trinamul MLA Kanchan Mullick also had to apologise after his post making fun of RG Kar protesters sparked outrage and prompted a few artists to return their government awards.
Families and children join protests
Many people brought their families and even small children to the protests. In many places, parents with children were seen holding candles and participating in the vigil, underlining the widespread concern for justice and safety in society.
ALSO READ || Fear was the key in Sandip Ghosh’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, many interns reveal
At exactly 9 pm, homes and several key landmarks across Calcutta were in darkness. The lights were also switched off in iconic buildings like Victoria Memorial and Raj Bhawan.
Justice and accountability, twin calls reverberate
A major demand from the protesters was accountability. At RG Kar Medical College, where the victim’s family joined the protest, they accused the Kolkata Police of being insensitive and pressuring them into cremating their daughter’s body.
The crowd made it clear that they expect transparency and justice from the authorities.
Protests weren’t confined to the main planned areas. Several neighbourhoods in Calcutta, like Rashbehari, Garia More, New Town and Jadavpur, saw residents organising their own vigils.
The candlelight protest brought together people from all walks of life, united by a common cause. Whether at prominent landmarks or in small streets, the message was clear: justice must be served.
The incident at RG Kar, many said, was symptomatic of a rotten system plagued by “syndicates” in every walk and sphere of life.
There is friction, too
The protests witnessed some stray incidents in which one male protester was assaulted while two others misbehaved with women at separate places.
At Jadavpur in Calutta, one person was arrested for allegedly molesting a woman when a large number of people assembled at a vigil in the 8B Bus Stand area.
The unidentified man, who was allegedly in an inebriated state, was whisked away by the policemen present and taken to the nearby police station. A group of students from Jadavpur University, film and stage actors and others followed them.
A police official said an FIR was lodged against the accused by the victim woman, who was escorted to the police station by actor Sohini Sarkar.
Her industry colleagues Bidipta Chakraborty, Sudipta Chakraborty and Birsha Dasgupta also went to the police station to offer moral support to the woman who identified the alleged molester before the police.
In another rally at Garia, a youth was detained by police for allegedly misbehaving with women. The youth, also intoxicated, was beaten up by other protesters before being handed over to the authorities.
In Mathabhanga town in Cooch Behar district, Pradyut Saha, a branch secretary of the CPM and an employee of the Mathabhanga Municipality, was allegedly attacked during a demonstration.
The CPM filed a complaint with the police regarding the incident. The Trinamul denied involvement of any party member in the assault.
(With inputs from PTI)
