Midnight protests on 14 Aug, marking a year of crime
The Statesman | 14 August 2025
Kolkata and its surrounding districts are preparing for fresh midnight rallies and candlelight vigils on 14 August, marking one year since the brutal rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.
The crime, committed on 9 August 2024, had triggered widespread outrage in West Bengal and beyond, with thousands taking to the streets last year under the banner Raat Dokhol (Reclaim the Night). Organisers say this year’s protests will be just as forceful, with programmes planned in Kolkata, North and South 24-Parganas, Howrah, and Hooghly. The Raat Dokhol Oikko Mancha (Reclaim the Night United), a coalition of citizens, doctors’ groups, and rights activists, has called for a gathering outside the Academy of Fine Arts in south Kolkata from 9 p.m. on 14 August until 5 a.m. on Independence Day.
“We will once again raise our voice to uphold women’s rights and demand justice for our beloved daughter who was killed last year,” said convenor Shatabdi Das. “Through songs, plays and films, we will send out our message in a peaceful gathering.” The Joint Platform of Doctors (JPD), West Bengal, is also mobilising its members. Convenor Dr Punyabrata Goon said several rallies and candlelight vigils would be held across Kolkata and in multiple districts. “The people will once again reclaim the night and fill the streets with their demand,” he said. Left-wing student and youth organisations — including the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) and the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) — are also planning extensive protests.
DYFI state secretary Dhrubajyoti Saha recalled that members staged a 27-day sit-in last year to demand justice for the victim, whom activists refer to as Abhaya. “This year we will reclaim the night across the state,” he said. “If necessary, we will again launch a sustained agitation.”
In Kolkata’s Shyambazar, SFI and DYFI will hold a sit-in from 4 p.m. on 14 August, continuing through the night. DYFI state president Ayonangshu Sarkar said: “From 9 August last year, Left student and youth activists have been on the streets. We appeal to the people of West Bengal to join us in ending this corrupt and criminal regime.” The 2024 incident had also been mired in controversy. After the victim’s body was found in a seminar hall at RG Kar, Left student leaders rushed to the hospital.
They alleged that authorities attempted to remove the body without the family’s consent and conduct a hurried cremation at Panihati crematorium, raising questions over the handling of the case. As the anniversary approaches, organisers say the night-long gatherings are intended both as a memorial and as a renewed demand for justice — a reminder, they say, that the streets still belong to women.