West Bengal’s streets were filled with grief and anger on Wednesday night as thousands, including doctors and concerned citizens, came together to protest the horrific rape and murder of a trainee doctor at a Kolkata state-run hospital. This brutal crime, which occurred at RG Kar Medical College last Friday, has sparked a wave of protests throughout the week, culminating in a powerful “Reclaim the Night” march.
The tragedy of the 31-year-old doctor’s death has resonated deeply, leading to demonstrations not just in Kolkata but across major cities like Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Pune. While most of the protests were peaceful, the atmosphere turned tense at RG Kar Hospital, where the doctor was killed. A few unidentified individuals broke into the emergency room, causing chaos and looting.
The police had to intervene with tear gas to control the situation, but the unrest left police vehicles damaged and emotions running high.
On August 9, the doctor’s body was found with multiple injuries at the government teaching hospital in Kolkata. Initially, her family was told she had taken her own life, but a heartbreaking autopsy report later confirmed that she had been raped and murdered. Women’s rights activist Vrinda Grover and many others have since been vocal in demanding justice for the young woman, whose tragic story has shaken the nation to its core.
This collective grief and anger over the Kolkata case are compounded by another recent and deeply disturbing crime in Delhi, where a 20-year-old woman was brutally gang-raped and murdered on the city’s outskirts. Her body was found with severe injuries, sparking outrage and protests reminiscent of the sorrowful scenes now unfolding in Kolkata.
The Delhi case has become a painful reminder of the systemic failures in protecting women, with many questioning why such atrocities continue despite past promises of reform. The incident has reopened old wounds, reminding the country of the 2012 Nirbhaya case, where a young woman was similarly brutalized on a Delhi bus, leading to widespread protests and eventual changes in the law. Yet, the recurrence of these horrific crimes raises serious concerns about whether those reforms have truly made a difference in ensuring women’s safety.
In both the Delhi and Kolkata cases, the public’s anger isn’t just directed at the perpetrators but also at the institutions that failed to protect these women. The brutality of these crimes and the apparent indifference of the authorities have led to widespread calls for accountability and a more urgent enforcement of laws against sexual violence.