Kolkata protests: At a time of festive cheer, a city seethes with rage

Minutes past midnight on September 8, the mood was sombre at R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, where a trainee doctor was brutally raped and murdered a month ago. As resident doctors arranged petals and candles at the gate of the emergency building, a doctor began singing a song: “Ek je chilo mein, taar bhari dukh, bhari dukh (Once there was a girl, she was full of sorrow, full of sorrow)”.

Taking inspiration from a track from Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne, a 1969 classic film by the director Satyajit Ray, the doctor’s song narrated the gruesome tale of August 9.

“I wrote the lyrics just hours ago,” said the medical officer at another state-run health facility. “Will this pain ever go? Will Tillotama (a name given to the victim) ever get justice?”

The hospital remained barricaded. Armed personnel of the Central Industrial Security Force and the Kolkata Police stood guard as resident doctors lit incense sticks at the memorial for the victim. The doctors wore black bandanas on their forehead that read, “Justice for Abhaya” (another name given to the victim).

Holding a microphone, one of the doctors said, “We will never forget what happened to one of our sisters a month ago. We will remain awake the whole night in her memory.”

A month after the incident, which sparked outrage across the country, people from all walks of life — doctors, artists, lawyers, engineers, rickshaw pullers, taxi drivers — continued to participate in ‘Reclaim the Night’ protests across the city. ‘Reclaim the Night’ is a reference to the fact that the 31-year-old doctor was attacked at night while taking a break from duty, and also to the 1970s movement, where women occupied public spaces at night, marching against sexual violence. There have been hundreds of protests across the country since August 9.

The beleaguered Trinamool Congress government has attempted to pacify the protesters in many ways — by appealing to them, pleading with them, declaring that it stands with them, and chastising them. On September 3, in the State Assembly, it passed the Aparajita Women and Child (West Bengal Criminal Laws Amendment) Bill, 2024, which enhances punishment for rape, promises swift investigation, and even the death penalty in a few cases.

However, the anger, which has swept the city like a storm, has not subsided. On September 12, pushed to a corner, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said she was willing to resign in the interest of the people. She explained that the doctors’ refusal to return to work was affecting the State’s healthcare system. According to the West Bengal government, more than 6 lakh people have been denied outdoor patient services at State-run hospitals in the last month. The ongoing agitation is Banerjee’s biggest political challenge in her 13 years as Chief Minister of West Bengal.

‘An organic uprising’

On the same day, about 13 kilometres away from R.G. Kar, the victim’s parents arrived at protests at Jadavpur’s 8B bus stand on the southern fringes of the city. As soon as they walked in, the demonstrators at the venue stopped shouting slogans. They also stopped recording the event on their phones, to protect the identity of the parents (disclosing any detail which could help identify a victim of rape is prohibited by law).

The father took the stage. Holding back tears, he said, “I lost my daughter on August 9. From that day onwards, I have found a huge family… the thousands of protesters who are now on the road fighting for her… I am shocked to see the power my daughter had…I hope you will stay and protest until I get justice.”

A few minutes later, slogans rent the air again: “Pashe aachi (We are with you)!”

Rimjhim Sinha, an independent researcher, is one of the faces of the protests. She helped organise three ‘Reclaim the Night’ marches. “Right from the night of August 14 (when the first ‘Reclaim the Night’ march took place), this agitation has had massive resonance across West Bengal, India, and even abroad. Being a sociologist, I feel this is a historic moment. Women across classes, castes, religions, and locations have organised programmes and established a statement against rape culture,” she said.

Some academics have said that this is an organic outpouring against the administration. “After a long time, we are seeing such an uprising against the system. The R.G. Kar incident was a trigger. People have always taken note of the misdoings of the current government, such as the school recruitment scam and the Rose Valley chit fund scam, but the populist policies such as giving allowances to people was used by the government for buying their loyalty,” said Amites Mukherjee, a professor at Jadavpur University.

On September 8, before midnight, Satyabrata Ghosal, 73, a retired professor of Library Science at Rabindra Bharati University, stood at the Shyambazar five-point crossing. The last time he had joined a protest was in the late 2000s against the forcible land acquisition by the Left Front government at Singur and Nandigram.

“I have been going to every protest over the last few days. There is an attempt to dub the R.G. Kar incident as another incident of rape and murder. But this reeks of systemic rot. A doctor was brutalised and all evidence [of the crime] was removed,” alleged Ghosal. The family members of the victim and a majority of the protesters also believe that not one person, but several people were involved in the crime and there was tampering of evidence. So far, the police have arrested a man called Sanjay Roy for the crime.

At Jadavpur, a middle-aged man, who refused to disclose his identity, offered packaged water bottles to the protesters. “My identity is not important,” he said. “I am one of you, we are all one in this. The people of this area came together to collect money and buy these bottles, so that we could supply them to the protesters daily.”

Sinha said years of pent-up anger had found its way to the streets. The sentiment everywhere, she said, was simple: “Enough is enough.”

A Chief Minister without an audience

Resident doctors of State-run health facilities, who have been at the forefront of the protests, have been highlighting some of the issues they face. The doctors have been on strike since August 9 and defied a Supreme Court appeal to rejoin work by September 10. They set conditions to hold talks with the administration, which the government rejected. They demanded the resignation of Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal as well as action against senior officials of the government, increased security for health workers, and an end to the “threat culture” in hospitals and medical colleges across the State.

On September 12, a team of 30 doctors reached the State administration headquarters, Nabanna Sabhaghar. However, they did not join the talks as the government refused to live-stream the meeting, which the doctors insisted would make the proceedings transparent. The Chief Minister waited at the Nabanna for nearly two hours before leaving the State Secretariat.

“We want our demands to be heard by the masses who have turned up in unprecedented numbers to show their support for our quest for justice,” said Aniket Mahato, one of the protesting doctors, after the talks failed to take place.

Several doctors like Dr. Mahato have led the agitation, which has been innovative at times. On September 2, when Dr. Mahato and others laid siege to Lalbazar, the police headquarters, they carried a replica of a spinal cord as a gift to the police, to urge them to “desist from serving only the interests of their political bosses”. Several associations of senior doctors have extended support to the resident doctors and dared the government to take action against them.

Keeping politicians at bay

It is not doctors alone who have been using innovative tools and slogans. At every rally, protesters can be seen carrying posters and graffiti depicting violence against women. They have been shouting slogans such as “Tilottamar bichar chai; Amar didir bichar chai (We want justice for Tillotama; we want justice for our sister)” and “Sashak tomar koto bhoy. Dharshak tomar ke hoe (Why are the rulers scared, how are the rapists related to them)?”. They have also found an anthem in the playback singer Arijit Singh’s song “Aar Kobe (When)?” which has millions of views on social media. The cries have changed from “We want justice” to “We demand justice”.

Unlike many other protests in Kolkata and elsewhere, which are appropriated by political parties or organisations affiliated to politicians, these agitations have been apolitical. Whenever politicians tried to join them, the protesters sent them a clear signal to stay away.

On August 14, for instance, a few days after the horrific incident when anger was spilling onto the streets, Banerjee herself went on a march, raising demands similar to those of the protesters. However, this was met with more anger, mockery, and disdain. Since then, the ruling party has stopped organising protests.

Similarly, on August 27, violence broke out during the ‘March to Nabanna’ protest, organised by the Paschim Banga Chatra Samaj, a little-known outfit connected to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the ideological parent organisation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The next day, a 12-hour bandh called by the BJP disrupted normal life. While a section of civil society was worried that the movement may be hijacked, the people did not lose hope. They switched off lights in their houses and lit up the streets in quiet protest.

Torsa Chatterjee, a student of Jadavpur University and an organiser of a ‘Reclaim the Night’ march, admitted that it has been difficult to keep the protests free of party politics. “Every political party — whether the Trinamool, the BJP, or the CPI(M) — has tried to hijack the movement,” she said. “Some of them have even sent drunk goons to our protests to cause a ruckus. But the people have managed to keep the parties away.”

A dulled mood for celebrations

At this time of the year, the people of Kolkata gear up to celebrate the festival of Durga Puja. Thousands visit the elaborate pandals — massive, temporary structures that house idols of goddess Durga, shop for sweets and clothes, and visit loved ones across the city. In December 2021, UNESCO had added ‘Durga Puja in Kolkata’ to its Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list, giving the festival international recognition.

This year, however, most people are not in a mood to celebrate. While protests have roiled the city, artists and theatre personalities have decided to agitate in their own ways, by returning awards presented to them by the State.

Chandan Sen, an 80-year-old thespian, returned the Dinabandhu Mitra Puroshkar, one of the highest awards in theatre, presented to him by the West Bengal government. “My father was a doctor at a government hospital for over 40 years. I personally feel for this cause and the doctors’ plight,” he said.

Organisers of community Durga Pujas have also returned the honorarium paid to them by the government. Several community Durga Puja committees have refused to accept the ₹85,000 that has been offered to them by the government. Prosenjit Ghosh, secretary of Uttarpara Shakti Sangha, a Durga Puja club, said, “There is no politics behind our decision. We feel this is our social responsibility. It a small attempt by us to seek justice for the victim.”

In an effort to revive the festive spirit, Banerjee urged the people to join the celebrations. However, her appeal was met with anger by the mother of the victim, who said that the family would never celebrate Durga Puja, now that their daughter is gone. “How can they ask the people to return to festivities,” she asked, pained.

The protests are likely to impact Durga Puja and its related economy. A study by the British Council had pegged the creative economy around Durga Puja in 2019 at ₹32,377 crore, which was 2.58% of West Bengal’s GDP.

With less than three weeks left for the Puja, Kumartuli, a colony of idol-makers in north Kolkata, is unusually quiet. “Unlike earlier years, the footfall of bloggers, tourists, and photographers to Kumartuli has drastically decreased this year,” said idol-makers, Kakoli Pal and Bankim Pal.

On September 8, when the whole city was participating in protests, the idol-makers of Kumartuli also hit the streets. Bamkim Pal said that thousands of people, including those in the locality who remain aloof in social events, also took part. Subodh Pal, another artist, said, “We make Durga from clay. Won’t we hit the streets for the Durga of flesh and blood?”

Notwithstanding the economic impact of the protests on the festival season, sculptors, idol-makers, and theme artists feel that the pandals will also capture the collective anger over the crime. Idol designer and artist, Bhabatosh Sutar, said, “In the last 50 years, I have never seen such a spontaneous and large-scale civil society movement. As an artist, I don’t think the art of Durga Puja can be separated from this tragedy.”

An official of a consulate in Kolkata, who has been facilitating art exhibitions during Durga Puja over the past few years, compared the situation to the story of a Satyajit Ray 1955 classic, Pather Panchali. “The character Durga dies just before the Puja and the audience is shaken by it. This is exactly what we are feeling right now,” he said.