‘Reclaim The Night’: Women Take To The Streets In Massive Midnight Protest Against Kolkata Doctor's Rape-Murder

Women in Kolkata and several major towns and districts of West Bengal took to the streets around midnight to hold agitations and protest rallies demanding justice for the horrific rape and murder of a 31-year-old doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.

Protesters in Kolkata will gather outside RG Kar Medical College and Hospital at 11:55pm. It has been named “Women, reclaim the night”. Copycat protests are expected at other medical colleges including New Delhi’s AIIMS where a protest has been planned outside Gate No. 2.

The timing of the protest coincides with the nation celebrating Independence Day at the stroke of midnight.

College Street, Academy of Fine Arts, and Jadavpur 8B Bus Stand are three locations where protesters are expected to gather.

The call for protest has garnered widespread support from almost all cross-sections of society.

Social media sites like X were abuzz with discussions about the protest and demand for quick justice as hashtags related to the protests went viral.

The Kolkata Metro Railway has announced that it would run two pairs of additional trains in its north-south corridor to cater to the anticipated movement of protestors.

The Metro authorities also confirmed that it would keep all its counters open for physical purchase of tickets.

“Tonight is the night of freedom for women inside and outside West Bengal. A new freedom struggle begins tonight,” said Rimjhim Sinha, who made the first call to this movement, in a Facebook post.

A poster, showing a red hand holding a crescent moon in the background of a night sky, has gone viral on social media.

The protestors said no political party flags will be allowed in the rallies. However, groups representing marginal communities like LGBTQ+ would be permitted participation with flags.

Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday endorsed the Calcutta High Court’s decision to hand over the RG Kar Medical College case to the CBI. She demanded that the central agency should solve the case within Sunday.

She has lashed out at rivals CPI(M) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for politicising the incident and inciting protests.

“We will abide by the Calcutta High Court’s order and extend all support to the CBI. We have no problem with the CBI taking over the case, as we want it solved as soon as possible,” Banerjee said while addressing a party programme in Behala.

Later, at a similar event in Hazra More, Banerjee announced plans to hit the streets on Friday, demanding justice for the deceased doctor.

“I will personally take to the streets on Friday, and we demand that the CBI ensures that the case is solved by Sunday. Kolkata Police has already completed 90 per cent of the probe, and the culprits must be hanged,” she asserted, while urging doctors to resume duties.

The 25-member special team of the CBI led by an additional director on Wednesday began its investigation and took custody of the key accused. The investigating agency filed an FIR under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) in New Delhi in connection with the alleged rape and murder of the doctor.

The probe team, primarily drawn from the special crime unit of the agency and also its local unit immediately swung into action after reaching Kolkata this morning, taking possession of all the documents from Kolkata Police on the probe done by it so far, the officials told news agency PTI.