Kolkata rape-murder case: Junior doctors, medical students hold massive protests on Mahalaya
Doctors, nurses, medical students and citizens across the board took to the streets of Kolkata on Wednesday, on the occasion of Mahalaya, demanding justice for a trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital who was raped and murdered on August 9.
The agitation was in response to a lack of decisive action by the West Bengal government in meeting the safety and security demands of junior doctors. Junior doctors have refused to resume work until the government fulfills their demands and the victim gets justice.
The protest march, organised by the Bengal Junior Doctors’ Front, began at College Street and ended in Esplanade area of Kolkata, with people raising slogans as they marched with placards and the Indian flag.
A protestor, who was also a colleague of the deceased doctor, told PTI,”We are not in a ‘Puja’ or ‘Utsav’ mood, and we will continue protesting on the streets till our sister gets justice. We have chosen this day of Mahalaya to send out this message.”
As the rally concluded, leaders of the Bengal Junior Doctors’ Front vowed to continue their agitation, stating that, “We will not give up. This is about our safety, our dignity, and justice for Abhaya. The government cannot expect us to remain silent while they do nothing.”
The protest was also carried out on a significant day as Mahalaya marks the start of Durga Puja celebrations and is a period when devotees invoke the goddess Durga to descend to Earth. However, this year all celebrations of the event have been compromised in the wake of the horrific case of rape and murder.
After the rally, protesters gathered on the banks of Ganga and lit 1,000 diyas as a symbolic gesture.
“Today is the 52nd day of our protest, and we are still facing attacks. There is no positive response from the state government toward meeting our safety and security demands,” said Aniket Mahato, one of the agitating junior doctors, addressing the crowd.
After reaching a consensus on demands in September, doctors briefly returned to work after 42 days, however, they renewed their call for justice on Tuesday.
They alleged that key demands such as enhanced safety measures for medical staff were not implemented such as the installation of CCTV cameras on hospital premises, 24/7 security for healthcare workers, and stricter protocols to prevent similar incidents of violence against medical professionals.
The doctors also allege that there is an environment of fear in the hospitals that has prevented them from working in hospitals across the state.
“We joined our profession to serve the people, but how can we do so when we constantly live in fear? We don’t feel safe in the very places where we are supposed to save lives,” a junior doctor told PTI.
Junior doctor and key organiser of the protests, Aniket Mahato said that though the West Bengal government promised to look into their concerns, there had been no follow-up action.
“The promises made were hollow. We are being asked to return to work without any concrete measures being put in place to ensure our safety,” Mahato said.
Meanwhile, a statue named ‘Abhaya’ was unveiled on RG Kar Hospital premises, as a symbol representing the struggle of the victim and ongoing protests demanding justice.