Calcutta on Sunday turned into a city of rallies and protests that culminated in a nightlong vigil demanding justice for the RG Kar victim on the eve of the Supreme Court’s scheduled hearing of the case.

The intervening night of Sunday and Monday marks one month since the junior doctor was raped and murdered.

From Sodepur on the northern fringes to Sonarpur on the southern outskirts and at Howrah Maidan across the Hooghly, thousands descended on the road with banners, posters, candles, flaming torches and hailers.

What would otherwise have been a festive Sunday of shopping with Durga Puja barely a month away was marked by an outpouring of rage against the rape and murder of the 31-year-old doctor, with slogans and songs of protest reverberating across the city.

Kumartuli artisans brought out a rally in the afternoon that saw the participation of over 3,000. Idol and accessory makers shouted the slogan “Kumartuli dichche dak, Amar Durga bichar pak (Kumartuli is rasing its voice, Our Durga must get justice)”. Before the rally, a head of Goddess Durga shedding tears was painted and signatures were collected on a banner. The protesters were addressed by artists Sanatan Dinda, Subrata Banerjee and Amar Sarkar, and singer Lagnajita.

By 7pm, Rashbehari More, one of the busiest intersections in the city, had been taken over by thousands of protesters who formed a human chain. Flaming torches and cellphone lights illuminated the night sky in what was one of the largest gatherings that mirrored a city seething in anger.

Most protesters said they wanted to send a message to the government agencies and the judiciary that they would not rest until justice was served.

The parents of the raped and murdered doctor came to Rashbehari. “We are hopeful of getting justice from the Supreme Court. The hospital, police and the administration have not been helpful at all. They have tried to tamper with evidence. The Augean stables of the health department have to be demolished,” the victim’s mother told the gathering.

She said what many Calcuttans feel. “My daughter dreamt of becoming a doctor. Fulfilling that dream cost her her life. She was subjected to the ultimate torment. But seeing so many people gives us hope. Please continue the protests till justice is served. Do not let your guard down.”

Over 2,000 people walked from Gariahat to Rashbehari before the demonstration. The march was organised by alumni associations of more than 50 schools. There were students who have cleared school a few years ago, and those who passed out many decades ago. They walked with posters, banners and the Tricolour. Around 5pm, a collective rendering of the national anthem brought the road to a standstill.

“The Supreme Court will hear the case on Monday. We want to tell the court and the CBI, the police and other agencies that we are watching. We will not rest until we secure justice,” said Garima Ghosh, a former student of St. John’s Diocesan Girls’ HS School.

The junior doctors’ front has given a call to people to come down on the streets between 10am and 10.30am on Monday. A bench headed by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud will hear the RG Kar case on Monday.

In the afternoon, senior doctors marched from NRS to Esplanade. About 2,000 black balloons were released into the air at the rally. Koushik Chaki, president of the West Bengal Doctors’ Forum, said they were demanding the arrest of “all the culprits”, identification of the “masterminds” and information on a “possible link” between the rape and murder of the young doctor and the “rampant corruption and mafia raj prevailing across medical colleges”.

“If there is a link, that should be found and those responsible arrested. Otherwise, something like this may happen again,” Chaki said.

At 5pm, junior doctors from several medical colleges formed human chains outside their colleges in response to a global call for forming human chains.

“About 200 junior doctors from RG Kar formed a human chain outside the gate of our hospital.... We sang the national anthem. We are all looking forward to the Supreme Court hearing,” said Arif Ahmed Laskar, a postgraduate trainee of general medicine at RG Kar.

Traffic was affected through the day. But even people stuck in buses and cabs expressed solidarity with the protests, often raising a hand or shouting slogans in chorus with the marchers.

Around 7.45pm, a rally reached Shyambazar from near Swami Vivekananda’s house. A human chain from Sodepur to Shyambazar started to form around 8pm. At Shyambazar a human chain took shape at 8.30pm. People stood along a line on the Shyambazar-bound flank but did not block the Shyambazar five-point crossing or the roads.

Sunish Kumar Deb, a retired central government employee, was one of those in the human chain near Shyambazar. “We are all seeking justice for the young doctor,” he said.

The protests culminated in a nightlong vigil at several parts of the city, part of the Reclaim the Night campaign called by women’s groups. Jadavpur 8B, College Street and the Academy of Fine Arts teemed with protesters who stayed put well beyond midnight.