Friday, 20 September 2024
Friday, 20 September 2024
In London, it started with a Facebook post. Doyel Chakraborty, a mental health worker, was perturbed after reading about the brutal rape and murder of the trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Calcutta.
Doyel wanted to register her protest. Somehow. She thought of organizing a protest in Hounslow.
“I posted on Facebook, and people from Kent and East London came; some traveled two hours just to be here,” she says. “The spontaneous gathering saw IT professionals arriving straight from work, to stand in solidarity. Some carried laptops, so that they can log into work right after.”
Ujjaini Halder, a 21-year-old student who has spent over a decade in the UK, feels a deep personal loss. “It’s heartbreaking to see how this case resonates even with non-Indians here,” she says from Abeerdeen, Scotland. “As India aspires to be a global leader, such incidents are a severe setback.”
As the protests rage in Calcutta against the rape and murder of the 31-year-old, the Bengali diaspora is watching with a mix of anger, outrage, anxiety and sadness. Many have participated in local gatherings to condemn the incident. Many are planning to organize protests themselves. Protests are also being planned in Sydney.
Pooja Sarkar, an ex student from the Columbia Journalism School says she couldn't attend the protest at Times Square on August 14. “I went the next day with another friend and stood there for an hour with placards,” she says, “We have to spark a conversation here in the US as well; we cannot shrug off our responsibilities as Indians because we live overseas.”
Social media platforms are full of pictures of such protests: in New York’s Times Square; at the Heidelberg South Asian Institute; in Leuven, Belgium.
“I may be miles away, but the fire in my heart burns just as fiercely,” says Damayanti Bhadra, who is studying Sociology in Bristol and will be a part of a protest gathering at the Little Stoke Community Hall there.
“My body is here, but my soul is marching with all of you in Calcutta,” she says.
In Buckinghamshire, UK, Dipanjan Basu, a father to two young girls is angry: “The authorities’ response — or lack thereof — is what really fuels the anger.”
The massive protests that the horror at RG Kar has sparked have been a balm. “It fills me with pride to see how people are standing up,” Basu says.
In the Belgian city of Leuven, 29-year-old Shreya Ghosh, a member of the Leuven Bong Club, says the Bengali community reached out to the local municipality, the city hall of Leuven, to seek permission for an open protest. “Even if we do not get approval from our local municipality, we will still protest in our homes," she asserts. "Nothing will stop us.”
In Heidelberg, Arkamitra Ghatak can’t shake the feeling of déjà vu.
"After Nirbhaya and Hathras, it's like we’re back at square one. Women’s safety in India? It’s still a dream. This time, it feels personal.”
Her university, The South Asian Institute, quickly organized a protest, she says.
The diaspora is aware of the soft power it yields.
"International attention on RG Kar can put real pressure on the people in power," says Anamitra Ghosh, a PhD student in Heidelberg.
Baishali Ghatak, a 48 year old resident of London, says it’s time for women to stand up! “We have to reclaim our streets and show these criminals that it won’t be easy,” she says.
Tamalika Ghosh, a home-maker who was also at Hounslow, asserts, "This issue cannot be restricted to Calcutta anymore. We are also girls from Calcutta... we grew up there... We cannot see the city full of rapists and criminals. The girl must get justice."
Sumitran Basu, an ex-student of RG Kar and currently a researcher at the South Asian Institute in Germany, says he is in touch with colleagues and juniors in Calcutta.
“The Nirbhaya case happened on the streets; this case occurred in a government hospital, a place meant to be safe, where is the change?” he asks.
Speaking to The Telegraph Online, Jagyoseni Mandal, a D.Phil scholar at the University of Oxford says, "I am deeply distressed and heartbroken over the horrific incident".
She believes as long as people take to the streets in solidarity, seeking justice, we can still hold onto hope.
Paromita Ray, a mother, fears for the future of her daughter even though they live in Brussels. “If she ever pursues medicine, I’ll have sleepless nights,” she admits.
Protests are gaining momentum across the World, with demonstrations planned in Harvard, Indiana, Pittsburgh, Cardiff, and Belgium.
The Bengali diaspora is determined to see this through. They won't back down.
