Calcutta is getting ready for a protest that is reminiscent of both the Reclaim the Night gatherings on August 14 as well as the community shows of solidarity that erupted across the world during the time of the Covid lockdowns.
The West Bengal Junior Doctors' Front, which has been spearheading the medicos’ protests over the rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, has called for a peaceful protest named ‘Let there be light, Let there be Justice’ on Wednesday night.
The protest is timed; it is the night before the next hearing in the RG Kar case in the Supreme Court, which has taken up the matter suo motu.
On Tuesday evening, the junior doctors met with police commissioner Vineet Goyal and gifted him a replica of the spinal cord, symbolising the need for upright public servants for a safer environment in hospitals and on the streets. Their peaceful protest broke the steel barriers put up by the cops.
“We will switch off the lights at 9 pm and we are requesting everyone to come outside their homes and protest in a peaceful manner be it with candles, diyas or any other light,” Dr Aniket Mahato, 31, a postgraduate trainee at RG Kar Medical College & Hospital, told The Telegraph Online.
The doctors insist their protest is not about politics but a united call for safety and justice, devoid of any hidden political agenda.
“Everybody should come forward and participate in this peaceful protest,” Dr Anubhab Saha, an intern at RG Kar Medical College & Hospital, told The Telegraph Online. “This is not just RG Kar’s fight or India’s fight, this has also gone international and people are supporting us.
“Justice needs to be served. I will be staying in our boys’ main hostel tonight and observing the protest with my hostel mates. My juniors who stay at the Maniktala hostel will observe it from their hostel. This will take place everywhere and we will join in with a candle,” he added.
The Telegraph Online Sources
As the City of Joy prepares for another night of protest, the students and junior doctors are looking ahead with hope. They are waiting for the Supreme Court hearing on September 5.
“We are not asking anyone to join us at any specific or particular place. This is a peaceful protest, where one just has to switch off their home lights and stand outside their homes with lights,” Dr Anudrita Baral, a housestaff at RG Kar Medical College & Hospital, told The Telegraph Online.
“Many people have not been able to join the protests due to their other commitments like our Bihari Kaku at whose stall we have tea. He couldn’t attend the protest [on Tuesday] as he is running a business but today he is joining us in this peaceful protest. Irrespective of who is where, we are just requesting people to turn off the lights for one hour and join us in our peaceful call,” Dr Baral said.
