Bengal Holds Lights Off Protest This Evening, “Reclaim The Night” Next

Most of Kolkata went dark this evening as a mark of protest against the rape-murder of a young doctor at the RG Kar Medical College. It was also a unique display of the city’s solidarity with the young doctors who have been on a protest since the horrific incident of August 9. This is expected to be followed by a “Reclaim the night” protest by women.

Sharp at 9 pm, prominent landmarks of the city, like the Victoria Memorial and Raj Bhavan, plunged into darkness. Governor CV Ananda Bose also switched off the lights at Raj Bhavan to show solidarity. “When light is fear, darkness is dear,” he said. Switching off lights at their homes, people hit the streets with burning candles.

Large pockets across the state — including twin city Howrah — also witnessed spontaneous protests, with people marching with burning torches, candles and even cellphone torches.

In Kolkata, protests were held at prominent landmarks including Shyambazar, Moulali, New Town Biswa Bangla Gate, Rashbehari crossing, Behala, Garia, Ballygunge, Hazra crossing and Jadavpur 8B bus stand. At the epicentre – RG Kar Medical College and Hospital – junior and senior doctors held a protest which was also attended by the woman’s parents and other family members.

The Bengal Junior Doctors’ Front, which had called for the protest, titled the event “Let There Be Light, Let There Be Justice”. It was meant to coincide with the second hearing of the case in Supreme Court, which was called off.

Protests were held in Delhi as well. Doctors at Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital and AIIMS carried out a candle-light march.

The protesters say the case be resolved quickly so that justice doesn’t get delayed any further.

The doctors also have been demanding that KOlkata police chief Vineet Goyal be dismissed. On Monday,  Sandip Ghosh, the former Principal of the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, got arrested by the CBI in connection with financial irregularities at the hospital during his tenure.

The partially clothed body of the young woman was found in the hospital’s seminar room on the morning of August 9.

It had created a furore, especially after it became known that the parents of the woman were misled about the cause of her death, the delay in filing of FIR and the comments of Sandip Ghosh that the woman should not have gone alone to the seminar hall at night. The protests spread like wildfire across the nation till the Supreme Court took notice of the matter.

(With Agencies)