RG Kar rape and murder case: Kolkata experiences waves of protests

Following the massive “Reclaim the Night” march on the eve of Independence Day to protest the rape and murder of a young doctor at RG Kar Hospital, similar mass protests took place across Kolkata on Sunday.

Thousands of people took to the streets demanding justice for the victim and harsh punishment for all those involved in this heinous crime.

Great outcry

Various non-political groups and citizen forums took to the streets and marched from several locations across the city to protest against the gruesome incident at the government hospital where the body of the on-duty doctor was found on August 9.

Thousands of protesters, including several well-known actors, singers, poets and painters, marched from College Square to Esplanade in central Kolkata with placards and slogans. The protesters, mostly women, demanded strict action against the perpetrators of this heinous crime. Protesting junior doctors from various government hospitals also took part in the rally.

Former members of the Ramakrishna Mission Institutions and their family members organised a silent rally from their headquarters at GolPark in South Kolkata to the Academy of Fine Arts. Participants chanted verses from the Gita and blew conch shells.

On August 14, a midnight mass protest took place in Kolkata against the rape and murder at RG Kar Hospital. Thousands of protesters, mostly women, poured into the streets with candles and shouted slogans.

Political excitement

Significantly, Trinamool Congress MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy on Sunday stirred up the political scene with his post on social media platform X: “July 1789…The Bastil Fort was razed to the ground by the protesting people, giving birth to the historic French Revolution.”

Roy had earlier taken part in the protest. The Trinamool Congress leader received a warning from the Kolkata police for tweeting “false information” about the investigation into the rape and murder case. He subsequently challenged the police action in the Kolkata High Court.

“While the people of West Bengal are continuously protesting against the gruesome incident and demanding justice, today's inauguration of a senior Trinamool Congress politician (Sukhendu Sekhar Roy) signals the beginning of the end of the Trinamool Congress government in the state,” said BJP leader Samik Bhattacharya.

The CBI is currently investigating the rape and murder of the doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.