‘We want justice’: RG Kar protest reaches new heights in Ladakh
Times of India | 2 September 2024
Biswajit Biswas, a climber from Kolkata, with a poster demanding justice for the RG Kar victim at Kang Yatze peak in Ladakh (left); Shampa Oraon, another member from the team (right) KOLKATA: The 'Justice for RG Kar' campaign reached new heights, quite literally as a mountaineers' group from a north Kolkata-based trekkers' association scaled the 6,400-plus-metre Kang Yatze peak in Ladakh and unfurled a poster demanding justice for the RG Kar victim. They also raised the Tricolour. Climbers regard this peak as one of the toughest mountaineering challenges in the world.
The mountaineers raised slogans at the peak in memory of the 31-year-old PGT doctorwho was brutally raped and murdered. The case has already sparked outrage across the country, and the mountaineers' gesture underscores the widespread demand for justice. The team of six members comprising leader Pradip Chakraborty, Ranadip Adhikari, Biswajit Biswas, Shampa Oraon, Shyamal Acharya and Ashoke Sarkar from Kamarhati Trekkers' Association, started their journey for the expedition on Aug 21 from Kolkata. After reaching Ladakh, the mountaineers set up their base camp number 1 and 2 in Markha Valley on Aug 28 and 29 respectively. They finally summited the first peak of Kang Yatze at 6.30 am on Saturday after they had left their base camp for the peak around 10 pm on Aug 30.
On Sunday, the expedition team successfully reached their base camp in Leh-Ladakh after a thrilling ascent to the Himalayan peak, where they unfurled the banner demanding justice for the RG Kar victim. Ranadip Adhikary, one of the members of the summit team, recounted, "It was sheer joy to reach the top after 8.5 hours of climbing. We were determined to unfurl the banner reading 'We Want Justice' on the snow-clad Himalayan peak. But at the back of our minds, there was apprehension about the descent-900-odd meters down without food and water," Adhikary told TOI on Sunday from the Leh-Ladakh camp.
The descent, which took an additional five hours, was marked by a mix of exhaustion and relief. "We are excited that our journey, this time targeting a campaign for justice for the RG Kar doctor, succeeded and culminated at the snow-covered mountain peak," Adhikary added.
This marked the 16th expedition for the team, dedicated to bringing attention to the injustice faced by the victim.
"As investigations continue, the demand for 'Justice for RG Kar' grows louder, echoing not only in the streets of Kolkata but now also from the heights of the Himalayas. I couldn't participate in this expedition but encouraged my colleagues very much after our association took this decision to dedicate this journey to the RG Kar victim after the heinous crime came to light on Aug 9," Arup Saha, a member of the Kamarhati Trekkers' Association and the secretary of Nimta Basundhara Environmental Society told TOI.