Renowned film director Aparna Sen and several other notable figures from the Bengali film industry joined thousands of protesters in a massive rally on Sunday, calling for justice for a trainee doctor who was brutally raped and murdered at RG Kar hospital in Kolkata last month.
Several rallies took place in different parts of the city, underscoring the widespread outrage and solidarity. One rally was carried out by alumni of Ramakrishna Mission-run educational institutions, while another was brought together by students and past pupils from a renowned convent school.
At the large rally that began at College Square, a procession of artists and supporters, including Swastika Mukherjee, Sudipta Chakraborty, Chaiti Ghosal, and Sohini Sarkar, marched to Central Avenue to demand justice for the postgraduate trainee doctor.
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Asked by reporters, the eminent actor-turned-director said, “We are walking on the road together, demanding justice. If needed, I will hit the road again.” “Common people have the right to demand answers and know the truth. The deep-rooted anguish comes from the bottom of our hearts. But we have faith in the judiciary, and we are hopeful about the investigation,” She continued.
Swastika Mukherjee voiced her concern, saying, “So many days have passed since the August 9 incident. After one arrest, we have not heard any further updates from the investigating agency. The initial attempt by the hospital administration to dismiss the death as a suicide and the arrest of only one person have compelled the people of this state to come out of their homes. We have all come together to demand justice.”
A junior doctors’ forum, which has been protesting since the R G Kar incident, also joined the rally. In south Kolkata, alumni from Ramakrishna Mission schools and other educational institutions marched from Golpark to Rabindra Sadan Exide Crossing. They carried banners with the message ‘Tamaso Ma Jyotirgamaya’ (Lead me from darkness to light) and demanded a fair and impartial investigation, as well as the arrest of those responsible for the crime.
About 300 alumni, current students, and guardians from St. John’s Diocesan Girls’ Higher Secondary School walked from Minto Park to the school compound. They then formed a human chain near Exide Crossing along A J C Bose Road, displaying a symbolic image of a spine with the slogan “Our spines are not up for sale.”
Women members of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) held protests across various blocks, calling for legal amendments to ensure capital punishment for rapists. Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been staging a sit-in at Dorina Crossing in Esplanade since August 29.