How Kolkata grew its spine over R.G. Kar rape and murder protests

The people who had lost confidence in the aftermath of the rape and murder of the doctor at R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9 found the courage to protest against injustice

Sometimes it takes a terrible tragedy to arrive at the truth. The protests which erupted in Kolkata after the rape and murder of the doctor on August 9, has provided that very moment of truth to the residents of the metropolis. The demonstrations, rallies and reclaim the night protests and various other forms of protests have continued for over 40 days and are not likely to die down soon.

One of the symbols of protests and resistance that has emerged in the clamour for justice for the post graduate doctor was that people should grow up their spine and descend on the streets. A group of protesting resident doctors had earlier this month given a replica of a spine to former Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Kunar Goyal, when they were demanding for his removal. With resident doctors and people from all walks of life keeping up with the demonstration, the West Bengal government conceded to most of the demands, including transferring of senior officials and setting up a task force for audit of State run health facilities.

“The movement, particularly the participation of women, has emerged as a great possibility for the civil society movement. We need to see where we go from here as the culture of threat and oppression by the ruling political class continues to loom large in the minds of the people,” Ranajit Sur, general secretary of Association for Protection of Democratic Rights, said.

In the past civil rights activists like Mr. Sur had rued the fact that people of the city were indifferent to the excesses of the State on various kinds of people.

Anuradha Talwar, who has been associated with the women and workers movement for the past several decades said that what has been significant in this movement is that people have not allowed any political party to sabotage the movement and turned their back to political parties. “The movements at Singur and Nandigram also started as a people’s movement but the Trinamool Congress was able to take over these movements. In this protests the BJP tried to press with the demand of Chief Minister’s resignation but the people did not give any space to them,” Ms. Talwar pointed out.

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She pointed out that the participation of women in the protests have been very spontaneous and the anger among women against different kinds of sexual abuse which they experience in their every day lives spilled on the streets.

Civil rights activists also point out even though Kolkata and rest of the State have been very sensitive to political movements for the past several years, they have looked the other way when several other crimes including political violence and even sexual assault on women took place. There was no clamour for justice rape of a woman in a moving car at Park Street in 2012 and the survivor died without much noise in 2015. Last year there was an acquittal and also commutation of death sentence in the Kamduni gangrape and murder of 2013, where a college student was brutalised to death in the northern fringes of the city. The acquittal and commutation of the death sentence failed to evoke any public protest much like several other incidents of sexual assault in recent past.

However, the rape and murder at R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital shook the confidence of people and people found courage and the spine to protests. Not only the protesting doctors but people from all walks of life have defied all attempts to impose restrictions imposed by the state on protests. The demonstrations have also been democratic and peaceful, often choosing the time of protests carefully when commuters will not face traffic bottlenecks because of the assembly and shunning any kind of violence.

The demonstration and the underlying anger have dampened the spirit of utsav (festivities) in the annual Durga Puja carnival scheduled from two weeks from now. Not only scores of Durga Puja organisers have refused the financial support from the State government but they have announced that the Puja this year will be a low-key affair. The call by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to return to festivities has also generated criticism from the people that they will not do so till justice is delivered to the bereaved family of the lady doctor.

On Friday night, hours before junior doctors called off the cease work, thousands of people took to the streets and marched for about 40 km in a relay torch rally. The message which the people wanted to give was that the protests will continue.

On Saturday morning as the junior doctors resumed work in State run hospitals, the State government hurriedly wiped off slogans and graffiti from the streets and walls around the protest venue of doctors outside Swasthya Bhawan, the headquarters of State Health Department. This move also evoked some criticism, with people saying that while the slogans can be whitewashed from the streets of the metropolis, the courage and the hope it has given to them will make them continue to strive for justice.

Published - September 21, 2024 09:55 pm IST