Kolkata Protests Against Trainee Doctor's Tragic Death at RG Kar Medical College

On Wednesday night, hundreds of people in Kolkata turned off their home lights and took to the streets to protest the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. The parents of the deceased doctor were among the protesters.

West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose supported the protest by switching off the lights of the Raj Bhavan and lighting a candle. The deceased doctor's father expressed his frustration, saying, "We will have to go; what else can we do? Things are happening very slowly; we can't tolerate it. We have a lot of questions, and we will ask the police the same."

Protestors at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital carried out a candle march. Many people also gathered at Kolkata's Shyam Bazaar, holding candlelights and waving the national flag. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, including Sukanta Majumdar and Agnimitra Paul, participated in the protest. In the Jadavpur area, protesters performed street plays as a symbol of protest.

Protests were also held in Delhi, where doctors at Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital and AIIMS carried out a candle protest.

On August 9, the body of the trainee doctor was found in the seminar room of the hospital, sparking nationwide protests. A civic volunteer was arrested shortly after the discovery, and the CBI arrested the former principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, Sandip Ghosh, for alleged financial misconduct.

The incident led to the West Bengal Assembly unanimously passing the 'Aparajita Woman and Child Bill (West Bengal Criminal Laws and Amendment) 2024' on Tuesday. The Bill includes provisions for increased punishment for crimes against women and requires that rape case investigations be concluded within 24 days of the initial report.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee commented on the Bill, stating, "I had written two letters to the Prime Minister, but I did not get any reply from him, rather I got a reply from the Minister of Women and Child Development, but I also replied to her reply and informed the Prime Minister. When the Code of Justice Bill was passed in a hurry before the elections, I had said that it should not be passed in a hurry, the states were not consulted in this. I had opposed it many times as no advice was taken from the states in this regard, it should have been passed after discussing with the Rajya Sabha, the opposition, and all the parties, but this was not done. That is why today we are bringing this (bill) to secure protection for women. If Bengal is ill-treated, then it will have a spillover effect."