Kolkata rape-murder: Midnight candle march held in Himachal’s Shimla to ‘reclaim public spaces for women’

Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], August 20 (ANI): A midnight candle march was organised late Monday night at Shimla’s Ridge in Himachal Pradesh to protest the rape and murder of a trainee doctor in Kolkata.

The event, organised by the Shimla Collectives–a diverse group dedicated to environmental conservation and social justice–aimed to spotlight the urgent need for improved women’s safety in public spaces. The protesters demanded a “martyr status” for victims and capital punishment for the rape culprits.

The demonstration which witnessed active participation from residents, served as both a symbolic gesture and a call to action. It highlighted the collective grief and outrage felt over the crime, which has been described as a significant stain on social morality. By gathering past midnight, participants sought to reclaim public spaces for women and demand justice for the victim, emphasising the necessity for women to navigate their communities without fear.

Tikender Singh Panwar, the organiser and former Deputy Mayor of Shimla City, emphasised the importance of unity in confronting such issues. “All of us must unite and raise our voices on this extremely important issue,” Panwar stated.

“There are three aspects to it one to reclaim the space and make an ideological shift to provide space to women which it used to have earlier and now they feel unsafe and we have decided to do this midnight peace protest to provide a space, second is to announce the doctor as martyr which we lost in Kolkata as she was serving the society and thirdly to provide doctors with the Protect Act which is yet to be implemented. We have gathered here to protest in front of the Statue of Indira Gandhi to recall those letters written by Jawahar Lal. Nehru from Jail to Indira ji where he had imagined India and where we are heading today. We all need to change our minds,” Tikender Panwar said.

The counsellor of the Mall Road area Umang Banga said that women and young girls need a space and they should be respected. “We are here to protest peacefully and want to show our solidarity with the woman doctor we lost in Kolkata. But it is about all women, today it was Rakhi day in India and for women in India, this is a very important festival. I would request everyone elders, young brothers and boys just to respect all women as they respect their sisters. It is just a message to change the minds of people. We all need to come together,” Banga said while speaking to ANI.

Saina Malhotra, one of the protestors, urged for a change of mindset regarding women’s safety and freedom.

“As you know this protest is a peace protest and peace itself is a message to provide a peaceful atmosphere to women in the country. We call ourselves a free nation, are we a free country? Do you see anyone roaming here in the streets? Ask any girl the answer will be no, so it means they don’t feel free to be here so what kind of freedom is this? We will have to provide space and freedom to all women so we need to change our mindset. Today it was Rakhi festival but to tie a Rakhi means to provide protection, are we protecting every woman? It is an awakening we hope that mindset will change soon,” she said.

Lalita Ahuja, a social worker expressed shock at the Kolkatta rape and murder case she wants to show solidarity with the victim and wants capital punishment for the rape culprits in India.

“This was a heinous crime and women wanted freedom and safety in India. I think justice will be delivered only after capital punishment is given to the rapist. Once you hang two people four such will teach a lesson and will never think about such a crime. Numerous rapes are happening in India each day but most of them are not reported, you have seen what has happened in Dehradun. In Himachal, one case has come up where a woman is alleging a public representative of assault. So we are trying to send a message to people across India through this midnight protest. The doctor’s incident was unfortunate, she should be given the status of martyr,” Laita Ahuja said.

The women professionals from the medical fraternity also participated in the midnight protest. “There was an awakening 12 years ago during the Nirbhaya but why only after the crime, the mindset needs to be changed. If we say to give her the status of a martyr, it will not help first we need to change the ideology and mindset and respect women only after we can say something. We are not feeling safe, we are working for 36 hours continuously but you are just blaming what we wear or how we work. Women are neither safe at work nor on the streets. Here this initiative by Shimla Collectives for us and justice and solidarity for the victim is a welcome step as they have come up with a message to change the mindset and provide a space to women,” Dr Swati Sharma, who participated in the protests said.

The postgraduate trainee doctor was found dead in the seminar hall of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9. The rape and murder of the trainee doctor have sparked widespread outrage and protests across various cities, with calls for justice and punishment for the accused.