“Night Is Ours”: Bengal Women Plan Midnight Protest Over Doctor Rape-Murder

Women in Kolkata and other parts of Bengal will take to the streets late tomorrow night as part of a massive protest against the rape and murder of a 31-year-old doctor in the city’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. The protest, which will begin at 11.55 pm tomorrow, has been described as, “For women’s independence on the midnight of independence”.

Posters sharing locations of the protest are being shared on social media, with new spots being added as more and more people across the state suburbs join it. Men have also decided to join the protest in large numbers to show their solidarity with the cause. Several prominent figures, including actor Swastika Mukherjee, actor Churni Ganguly and filmmaker Pratim D Gupta, have called upon people to join the midnight gathering at the meeting point most convenient to them.

Kolkata has been shaken by the rape and murder of a 31-year-old doctor at the state-run hospital while she was on night duty. The doctor was found dead on Friday morning in a seminar hall of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in the northern part of the city. She had injuries on her eyes, face, mouth, neck, limbs and private parts.

Sanjoy Roy, a civic volunteer who frequented the hospital, has been arrested in connection with the case.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has given the city police time till Sunday to complete the investigation, failing which the state government would recommend a CBI probe if the victim’s family wants. She has said the state government has nothing to hide.

Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal has said they are speaking to everyone who was near the place of occurrence at the time of the incident. “We are certain that if there are other culprits, they will be arrested within the next four to five days,” he said.