On the eve of Independence Day, the erstwhile colonial capital, Calcutta, saw thousands of protesters marching down the streets, demanding justice for the inhuman torture inflicted upon a female resident doctor within the premises of her workspace, RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. Yes, her own workspace where she was assigned over 36 hours of duty.

Protests were held at 100+ locations across Calcutta and surrounding towns through the night. Initially, a solidarity poster went viral where only three popular spots of Calcutta were mentioned - Jadavpur, Academy and College Street -- but within a day, that same poster template saw a rise in multiple locations.

In Baguihati, Sudeshna Roy’s contact went viral as the organiser of the location, who clarified, “Amra micchil korchina, amra jamayaat korchi! (we are not going on a march, we are holding a sit-in)"

Men and women protest in solidarity to show their support over the RG Kar incident.

The entire VIP road leading towards the airport, from Baguihati, saw a thick line of people, with no space for any vehicle to pass. It was initially supposed to be an all-women march, but men also came in solidarity and as allies to show their support. People stood on top of the subway, on top of cars, on top of e-rickshaws, climbing barricades and railings, with posters and screaming slogans such as, “We want justice”, unanimously. This was rage speaking, the kind that has engulfed the ordinary hardworking people of West Bengal.

Women with posters and screaming slogans demanding justice.

“It is not just about one night! Every night, women should have this freedom and choice to go out, so that in future no girl child’s parents have to think in case it gets late in the evening, whether their child shall return home safe or not!,” opines Shalini Datta, a resident of Baguihati.

“I want to say that girls need to be respected and not endure any torture at all. I have myself come with my daughter and I believe the night is not just for men to enjoy, women also have equal rights. We have come out to claim this space for ourselves so that women no longer have a sense of fear associated with nights! Men should sit at home now and we should be able to go out as we please!,” exclaims Tanushree Das.

Women protesting for justice and equal rights.

On the other hand, upon asking some of the men who were participating on the road, Neel Ghosh asserts, “There is only space for justice now, nothing else, we will not be satisfied with anything else other than real justice.”

Another middle-aged man who didn't want to be named, said, “This is the only kind of Independence Day that I shall celebrate, otherwise where is the real independence? This is not the world I want for my daughters. There might be people celebrating this day as India’s 78th Independence Day, blasting music in their respective localities and performing forced acts of patriotism, but deep down, we all know that this is not the India we want.”

Swarnali Bose,another local resident says, “We want the perpetrators to get their deserved punishment. We will not be suppressed every time. We have heard a lot about the power of a common man, now see the wrath of the common women of this country! Today is apparently the independence of this country, but where is the independence of us women?” In addition to this, Mou Datta, Swarnali’s neighbour, adds, “Above everything, our first priority is that the evidence should not be destroyed. We cannot return the lost child back to her mother, but the least she can get is justice, and we all are standing in her support. We definitely do not want to live in a country which blames the girl for taking rest after a tedious day of work, no girl deserves this!”

Some people collectively suggested that the death penalty by hanging might not be the best solution. “Even freedom fighters and political prisoners used to be hanged, but this is not the same situation, we need something more drastic so that men in future are scared to even think of assaulting anyone.”

To conclude with a group of students wearing all black colour to show solidarity, Tannistha Dhar opines, “Maybe just this one day of outrage is not going to change anything right now, maybe the perpetrators will not be identified tomorrow and facing charges just by day after tomorrow, but what the need of the hour is common people taking stand. So many mothers, daughters, sons, husbands, somebody or the other has come to this gathering from every household, this solidarity was extremely needed.” She goes on to add how even today, women are discouraged to do basic things like pursuing jobs that might get a little late in the evening, and why so? Because men lurk around in the streets. “The only ray of hope in this horrible situation is that people have shown up. In the near future, when other girls go outside and some man oggles at her, another man would step up against it. This is exactly what we are fighting for.”

One of the most remarkable thoughts was articulated by Sarmistha Sinha. “I’m here today for my next generation. I have a son in 12th grade and he needs to grow up to be a better man. We have grown up with this fear throughout , but what do we give back to the girls of this new generation? We don’t want them to face the same things that we did. Nobody deserves to live with this constant sense of terror,” she said.

Nobody knows what the future has in store, but it was definitely a sight to watch so many women march down the streets after midnight, screaming slogans, singing songs, clapping hands, lighting candles and all while taking a stand.