Massive protests in India as women ‘reclaim streets’ after doctor’s murder (2024)

Tens of thousands of women took to the streets across India on Wednesday night in protest over the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at a prominent state-run hospital in West Bengal.

The largest of the protests took place in Kolkata itself, where women armed with placards, candles and the Indian national flag ushered in the country’s 78th Independence Day at midnight by demanding justice for the killing of the 31-year-old female resident at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.

The doctor cannot be named due to India’s laws protecting the identity of rape victims, even in death. Her partially naked body was discovered by students last Friday morning, with an autopsy later confirming she had been sexually assaulted.

Women at the “Reclaim the Night” protest told The Independent that they wanted swift justice for the victim – some are calling for the perpetrator or perpetrators to be given the death penalty – but also a wider reckoning on violence against women and the safety of doctors in the country.

Riya Banerjee, a 22-year-old student, said she had walked more than 5km to take part in the protest after roads became impassable for traffic, as it was “important for everyone to step out of their comfort [zone] and raise their voices”.

“We want justice for [the victim],” she said. “We want to reclaim public space. Why should we live in fear of being abused by men?”

The doctor’s murder has dominated the national political conversation in India this week, triggering a nationwide doctors’ strike and similar protests on Wednesday night in New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Pune and even New York.

Prime minister Narendra Modi addressed the matter in his Independence Day address on Thursday, calling for stricter punishments for crimes against women. “As a society, we have to think about the atrocities being committed against our mothers, daughters and sisters. There is outrage against this in the country. I can feel this outrage,” he said.

One suspect has been arrested in the case, a civil volunteer named Sanjay Roy, who is associated with the Kolkata Police. The case has since been taken over by the federal Central Bureau of Investigation amid calls for an unbiased and transparent inquiry into the crime.

More protests were planned for Friday, as the indefinite doctors’ strike takes its toll on non-emergency medical services at government hospitals across the country, affecting many thousands of patients. The national Federation of Resident Doctors Association, a major union, is demanding a full and unbiased investigation, compensation for the victim, and the implementation of a new law specifically targeting acts of violence against healthcare workers.

“Not any more,” shouted Debjani Roy, who joined the protest at College Square in Kolkata with her two young daughters. “They needed to witness the protest so that when they grow up, they are able to hit back at any man who dares to harass them,” she said.

At midnight, the chanting of slogans faded as the national anthem was sung in unison. The cries for justice reverberated again a few minutes later.

The peaceful protests were marred later in the night by a mob of men who broke through the police barricade outside RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, vandalising the protest venue and ransacking the emergency ward.

“We were preparing to take out a rally, when out of nowhere dozens of men barged in and started assaulting whoever they could see,” a resident doctor, who did not wish to be named, told The Independent. “We ran inside the hospital to save ourselves. They were out for blood.”

She said members of the mob broke in through buildings and entered the women’s hostel on the hospital campus. Every room of the emergency ward, which is where the crime took place, was ransacked, with medical equipment destroyed and beds overturned.

Kolkata Police fired teargas to disperse the protesters and detained several men from the crowd, though they are yet to comment on either their identity or the suspected motive behind the attack.

“The mob was tearing wires to snap the electricity with their bare hands. They had rods and swords and came charging towards the police,” an officer with Kolkata Police told The Print. “There were patients undergoing treatment and the force saved them on priority.”

A video shared on social media showed the mob breaking down a police barrier at the entrance of the government hospital. A person could be heard repeatedly begging them: “Don’t do this.”

Kolkata Police commissioner Vineet Kumar Goyal blamed the mob attack on a ”motivated media campaign” that painted the “Kolkata Police in a very poor light”. “Unfortunately this incident would not have happened if this kind of malicious campaign was not being run by the media,” he told reporters.

“I am telling you from the core of my heart and every member of my team, that we have never tried to save [those who are guilty].”

Rahul Gandhi, leader of the opposition in parliament, said in a statement that he saw an attempt by some state government officials to protect the suspects rather than punish them. Mr Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has called on West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee to resign over the situation in her state.

Ms Banerjee on Wednesday asked the doctors to end their protest and return to work. “Give the death penalty to those who are actually responsible for the crime, but innocents should not be punished,” said Ms Banerjee, the only serving female chief minister in India.

On Thursday some junior doctors returned to the hospital, still fearful after Wednesday night’s attack. “This protest will not stop till the culprits are hanged,” the resident doctor said.