At the stroke of midnight, thousands of women holding flaming torches and blowing conch shells began to march through dark streets across the state of West Bengal.
The processions in the early hours of the morning on Thursday 15 August, India’s Independence Day, were part of several days of protest against the brutal rape and murder of a junior doctor inside a hospital in the state capital, Kolkata, last week.
The women marched to chants of “Reclaim the night”, a reference to the fact that the unnamed 31-year-old doctor was attacked at night on Friday while taking a break from a long shift at the government RG Kar hospital.
The call for women to come out emerged from the anger expressed on social media, and quickly created the largest protest movement the state has seen for a long time.
The anger on the streets was about the doctor’s horrific ordeal, but it was also about the daily struggle Indian women face to live freely. Organisers said they chose Independence Day to ask: when will women gain their independence?
As the marchers made their way past homes, gated communities and apartment blocks, many inside rushed out to join the throng, undeterred by the rain. The chants were about justice, safety and respect.
Anupama Chakraborty came out with her two granddaughters, aged 11 and 13. “This has rocked the country. The girl who was brutalised was an on-duty doctor. If the government cannot ensure the safety of women at a government-run institution, what hope is there?” she told the Telegraph.
On Monday, thousands of doctors halted most services by going on strike, severely disrupting patient services across India. They are demanding justice for the victim and better security at hospitals, such as stricter controls over who enters, more CCTV cameras and more guards.
The doctor who was killed had been watching the Olympics with colleagues, had dinner and chatted to her parents before going into a seminar room to rest.
The police investigation revealed that the 33-year-old man arrested for the crime was able to access every part of the hospital even though he appeared to be an unofficial tout helping patients to get admission faster in return for money.
The Federation of Resident Doctors’ Association union, which called the strike, had called it off after a meeting on Wednesday with the federal health minister, Jagat Prakash Nadda, but many doctors continued to strike.
Distrust with the police investigation has been mounting, after the hospital initially told the parents that their daughter had committed suicide.
“What’s clear from this is that the hospital staff, along with police, wanted to cover up the real culprits,” Nazrul Islam, the former director-general of police in West Bengal, told the NDTV news channel.
Protesters were also incensed that although the hospital’s principal, Dr Sandip Ghosh, resigned after the incident, he was reinstated as principal of another hospital 24 hours later.
Responding to petitions for the case to be investigated outside the state, the Kolkata high court raised concerns about destruction of evidence and handed over the case to the federal crimes agency, the Central Bureau of Investigation.
The young doctor’s death has struck a chord with the public, highlighting yet again the vulnerability of Indian women to violence. The shock has been heightened by the fact that she was not out late in the dark on her own but was at her place of work, filled with light and people.
In 2022, an average of 86 rapes were reported in India every day. Ever since the savage gang-rape and death of a young woman in 2012 on a bus in Delhi, Indians have wearied of an all-too-familiar cycle: rape, outrage, promises of change, return to “normal”.
This time, neither the women and child development minister, Annapurna Devi, nor the chair of the National Commission of Women, Rekha Sharma, made a statement.
Ranjana Kumari, the director of the Centre for Social Research, said: “It makes my blood boil when I see this silence, when I read how he butchered her, this total neglect of safety at the hospital. Nothing, nothing has changed since 2012. The room where it happened didn’t even have a CCTV camera.”
Information and support for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse issues is available from the following organisations. In the UK, Rape Crisis offers support on 0808 500 2222 in England and Wales, 0808 801 0302 in Scotland, or 0800 0246 991 in Northern Ireland. In the US, Rainn offers support on 800-656-4673. In Australia, support is available at 1800Respect (1800 737 732). Other international helplines can be found at ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html
