The people who hit the streets holding candles had responded to a call for protest on social media, described as ‘For women’s independence on the midnight of Independence’. The sound of conch shells reverberated amid the sombre mood of those who “reclaimed the night.”
Differences were washed away, communities amalgamated and even members of TMC pledged their support to the protest. Slogans like “Justice for R G Kar”, “The Night is Ours”, “Reclaim the Night”, “Meyera Raat er Dhokhol Koro (Women seize the night)”, “Meyera Raat er Dokhol Nao… Sankha Dhonite Bhoriye Dao (Women seize the night… fill it with the sound of conch shells) were circulated on WhatsApp.
Initially, three locations were named for the gathering — College Street, Academy of Fine Arts, and Jadavpur 8B Bus Stand in Kolkata, but when the moment arrived, apart from these locations, people came out of their homes and bolstered the protests in Garia crossing, Park Circus Maidan, Naktala Nabapally, Behala Sakher Bazar, Shyambazar Five Point Crossing, among others.
While young students and juniors had sparked the protest at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, senior citizens felt the same despondency and joined the sea of young with candles and placards. Political party flags were banned.
Rimjhim Sinha, the movement’s initiator, described the event as a “new freedom struggle for women”, symbolised by a viral poster of a red hand holding a crescent moon.
As night descended, the city was awake and alive to the unprecedented protest as people offered water to protesters and a ride home. The cry for justice also resonated in the city’s neighbourhood till Siliguri in the north and Canning in the south.
At Biswa Bangla Gate in New Town, people could hardly confine themselves in their homes, and created a sea of light and determination. The scenes beamed a feeling that the city was ready to ensure that justice was done to one of them. Similar scenes unfolded in Serampore, Chunchura, Santiniketan, Krishnanagar, Bardhaman, Siliguri, Barasat, Barrackpore, Rajarhat-Newtown, Cooch Behar, and Jalpaiguri. At Sealdah station, the protest saw an unexpected but heartening addition – pavement dwellers joined in, with some women blowing conch shells as a powerful symbol of resistance.
Amidst the sea of protestors, Lilly Banerjee, an elderly woman from Patuli, expressed her deep concern for her daughter’s safety and her disbelief at having to participate in such a midnight protest on the eve of Independence Day.
“I couldn’t sleep after hearing about the horrific attack on the young medic. My daughter is about the same age and works in Pune. I worry for her safety every day,” she said. In Diamond Harbour, thousands of women sang Tagore’s “Aguner Parashmani”, holding mobile torches high.
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