Women take to streets across cities on Independence Day eve, make themselves heard
Times of India | 16 August 2024
Reclaim the night', the protest call, became a mass movement across India on Independence Day eve on Wednesday as it reverberated in numerous cities as doctors, other professionals and general public gathered to raise their voice against the rape and murder of the on-duty 31-year-old PGT doctor inside RG Kar Medical College and Hospital (RGKMCH) in Kolkata last week.
On Thursday, protests continued in hospitals across the country by resident doctors, affecting medical services.
In Kolkata, protestors raised slogans like "meyera, raat dokhol koro," (Women, Reclaim the Night) and "The Night is Ours" as they raised demands like a secure night transport system for women and safe resting rooms for professionals working at night.
"When we celebrate the country's independence, I would like to celebrate my independence as a woman and reclaim what is ours - the city, the night, the public space that patriarchal forces would rather throw us out of," said Kolkata-based researcher Rimjhim Sinha.
In Hyderabad, a senior resident doctor at the Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences said, "We had initially planned to continue with subdued protests. But the sudden night-time violence on RGKMCH campus on Wednesday has left us shocked and angry. We cannot afford to just wear black badges to work and go on as if it didn't matter to us," said a senior resident.
Protests were held at Gandhi Hospital and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Bibinagar too. Also, doctors at RIMS Adilabad announced a boycott of duties from Friday.
In Mumbai, the response to RGKMCH rape and murder began right at 1.17 am when striking resident doctors started posting videos and messages sent to them by their counterparts in RGKMCH. Pictures of the mob as well as pleas by student doctors were shared on various Whatsapp groups to underline their "primary aim" - to get justice for the resident doctor who was raped and murdered.
Around 600 Indian Institute of Science students in Bengaluru gathered for a solidarity march inside the campus.
Students, holding candles, marched inside the campus for a km. A silent protest was held for three hours on Thursday morning, seeking justice.
Senior medical professionals and doctors' associations in Tamil Nadu said they were alarmed by the precarious conditions faced by medicos in Tamil Nadu, particularly house surgeons and postgraduate students. "Over the last two days, students have been reporting to us about compromised safety and hygiene within state-run medical colleges," said Tamil Nadu Government Doctors' Association president K Senthil.