Kolkata: Protesters form human chain to demand justice for RG Kar rape-murder victim

Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], September 8 (ANI): People from various walks of life held a strong protest on Sunday over the Kolkata rape and murder incident by forming a human chain.

The brutal rape and murder of a trainee woman doctor in Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital has sparked widespread protests in West Bengal and across the country.

The victim was found dead in the seminar hall of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9.

A protestor while speaking to ANI said the TMC government did not react to the incident as it should have. He demanded that the strictest punishment should be given to those involved in the incident so that such incidents do not occur in the future.

“Our government did not react as it should have after this incident. There has been a lot of injustice, and all the evidence has disappeared, which is causing delays in justice. Therefore, we demand that those responsible be immediately apprehended. We request the CBI to arrest everyone involved, regardless of their status, and that they receive the strictest punishment so that such incidents do not occur in the future,” he told ANI.

Another protestor said that people want justice as soon as possible.

“We want justice, and we want it as soon as possible. With this human chain, we are sending the message that we are all standing here, watching the courts to see if we are getting the justice we deserve,” she said.

Earlier, artists and technicians of the Bengali film industry held a protest march against the Kolkata rape and murder incident and demanded justice for the victim.

A protestor while speaking to ANI said that the protest will continue till justice is served.

“As long as we are not getting due justice, the protest will be on,” she told ANI.

Another protestor said, “We are fighting for justice, we want justice and we will get justice. We are fighting for ourselves, every lady and our protection.”

People from the medical fraternity, activists and local citizens on Sunday formed a human chain in Siliguri to protest against the RG Kar rape and murder case and demanded justice for the victim.

Earlier today, sculptors from Kumartuli, people with torches, BJP workers, and rickshaw pullers separately took to the streets to protest against the rape and murder incident.

Amid mounting pressure on the Mamata government, TMC Rajya Sabha MP Jawhar Sircar wrote to West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee and offered his resignation from the post of MP.

“I have suffered patiently for a month since the terrible incident at RG Kar Hospital, & was hoping for your direct intervention with the agitating junior doctors, in the old style of Mamata Banerjee. It has not happened and whatever punitive steps the government is taking now are too little and quite late. I think normalcy may have been restored in this state much earlier if the caucus of the corrupt doctors was smashed and those guilty of taking improper administrative actions punished immediately after the scandalous incident happened,” the letter read.

The incident has sparked a war of words between the BJP and the state government, with the BJP demanding the resignation of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

BJP MP Jyotirmay Singh Mahato on Sunday wrote a letter to the Director of Enforcement Directorate requesting an investigation and arrest of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in connection with health scams involving Sandip Ghosh and the RG Kar Case.

On Thursday, the victim’s family accused the Kolkata Police of attempting to offer them money while they were grieving with their daughter’s remains.

Sanjoy Roy, a civic volunteer at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, has been arrested in connection with the incident.

Earlier this week, the Anti-Corruption Branch of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested Dr Sandip Ghosh, along with three others, over alleged corruption and financial misconduct at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.

Ghosh, the former principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, has been remanded to 8-day police custody. The next hearing of the case will be on September 10.

Amid protests over the Kolkata rape and murder case, the West Bengal Assembly unanimously passed the ‘Aparajita Woman and Child Bill (West Bengal Criminal Laws and Amendment) 2024’ earlier this week.

The Bill introduces the death penalty or life-long imprisonment for rape by amending the relevant sections in the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the new penal code.

On September 6, West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose referred the Aparajita Bill to President Droupadi Murmu for consideration.