Doctor’s rape-murder: Kolkata turns off lights, thousands on streets with ‘Reclaim the Night’ campaign

In a strong display of civic protest not seen in more than a decade, thousands of women across West Bengal marched on Wednesday midnight as part of the “Reclaim the Night” campaign demanding justice for a doctor who was raped and murdered at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata last month.
In a boost to the surge in daily street protests, the parents of the deceased doctor joined the protesting medics at RG Kar hospital on Wednesday and accused the Kolkata Police of attempting to suppress the case by hurriedly cremating her body on the day of the incident on August 9.
The parents also accused a senior police officer of trying to bribe them after the incident came to light, reports our New delhi correspondent.
“The police, from the very beginning, tried to hush up the case. We were not allowed to see the body and had to wait at the police station while the body was taken for post-mortem examinations. Later, when the body was handed over to us, a senior police official offered us money, which we immediately declined,” the father of the deceased doctor said.
At 9:00pm on Wednesday, Kolkata witnessed a stirring act of civic protest and solidarity with residents turning off their lights for an hour and hitting the streets with candles in hand.
The darkened “City of Joy’, illuminated only by the light emitted by burning of torches (masala), flickering candles, torches and backlit mobile flames, the protesters mourned the death of the doctor and expressed support for her grieving family.
Significant pockets across districts of West Bengal also witnessed spontaneous protests from citizens hitting roads late in the evening with burning torches, candles and even backlit mobile phones demanding justice for the RG Kar hospital victim.
The West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Front called the protest and titled the event ‘Let There Be Light, Let There Be Justice.’
The protesters demanded that the case, which is currently being heard by the Supreme Court, which has taken up the rape-and-murder case suo motu , be resolved expeditiously so that justice doesn’t get delayed any further.
At 9:00pm sharp, prominent landmarks such as the Victoria Memorial and Raj Bhavan, along with homes across the city, its suburbs and districts, plunged into darkness as part of the protest.
Governor CV Ananda Bose also lit a candle at the Raj Bhavan and said “when light is fear, darkness is dear.”
Large crowds gathered across the city, Howrah, and Salt Lake, taking to the streets with candles and mobile phone torches, chanting “We want justice” and demanding accountability for the alleged gruesome rape-murder of the trainee doctor.
In Kolkata, protests were held in prominent landmarks including Shyambazar five-point crossing, Moulali, New Town Biswa Bangla Gate, Rashbehari crossing, Behala, Garia, Ballygunge, Hazra crossing and Jadavpur 8B bus stand.