Twenty-two days after the alleged rape and murder of the junior woman doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on August 9, protests continued across the city on Saturday, with people demanding justice for the victim and punishment for the accused.
School teachers across the city walked under the banner ‘Teachers for RG Kar’ from Sealdah station to Shyambazar, where the state-run hospital is situated, shouting slogans such as “we want justice” and “justice for RG Kar.” Demanding that the accused be punished as soon as possible, they also said that anyone found guilty of shielding the culprits should also be given exemplary punishment.
Additionally, former students of Jadavpur High School along with alumni CPIM leader Kanti Ganguly also participated in a rally in South Kolkata.
Senior doctors also joined the protesting junior doctors and marched to the CBI office in Salt Lake demanding justice for RG Kar and arrest of other culprits.
Meanwhile, veteran Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury went to RG Kar College to meet with the protesting junior doctors. “I came here to express solidarity with their movement. I have no problem that they did not allow me inside the hospital,” he said.
Chowdhury also visited the house of the deceased doctor and spoke with the parents. “I visited the family of the deceased doctor’s residence and spoke to them for a long time. The police have kept the family under house arrest. They are not allowing them to come out of the house on the pretext of various excuses. The police have created a barricade around them, the CISF have no clue about this,” Chowdhury told mediapersons.
Criticising the Mamata Banerjee led-TMC government, Chowdhury said, “When goons attacked the emergency ward, sufficient police were not seen in front of the hospital. And now, you can see huge police deployment on the peaceful protest of junior doctors.”
Paschim Banga Chhatra Samaj leader Sayan Lahiri, who was arrested on August 27 for playing an active role in leading ‘Nabanna Abhijan’ rally which turned violent, walked out of jail on Saturday. The Kolkata Police released Lahiri from its custody after he was granted bail by the Calcutta High Court on Friday.
The high court had directed authorities to release Lahiri by 2 pm on Saturday. After being released, Lahiri vowed to continue protests seeking justice for the 31-year-old trainee doctor, who was raped and murdered in Kolkata’s state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. “Our fight for justice for our sister will continue till it is achieved,” Lahiri said.
However, the state government on Saturday moved the Supreme Court to challenge the bail granted to Lahiri.
Meanwhile, Singer Shreya Ghoshal on Saturday announced postponing her concert in Kolkata, stating that she was “deeply affected by the gruesome and heinous incident” at RG Kar. In posts on her social media handles on X and Instagram, she said the concert scheduled on September 14 was highly anticipated but it was absolutely imperative to take a stand and join those protesting in solidarity. “I am deeply affected by the gruesome and heinous incident that recently took place in Kolkata. Being a woman myself, the very thought of the sheer brutality that she must have gone through is unthinkable and sends shivers down my spine,” the national award-winning singer wrote.
The concert was scheduled for September 14 but will now be moved to a new date in October. Hopeful that her admirers would understand her decision to reschedule the concert, she wrote, “With an aching heart and with deep sorrow, my promoters (Ishq FM) and I wish to reschedule our concert ‘Shreya Ghoshal Live, All Hearts Tour Ishq FM Grand Concert’ which was originally scheduled for the 14th of September 2024, to a new date in October 2024.”
With inputs from PTI
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