'Reclaim the night' call: Women across Bengal to hold midnight protest against doctor's rape-murder

Kolkata: Thousands of women from different walks are set to gather in different parts of West Bengal on Wednesday midnight, giving vent to the widespread anger against the brutal rape and murder of an on-duty doctor inside a Kolkata hospital last week.

Responding to the "Women, Reclaim the Night" call given on social media by commoners, college students, home-makers and employees of offices will congregate in key thoroughfares in small towns and big cities, including in various parts of Kolkata.

The congregation of protestors has been timed at 11.55 pm and coincides with the nation celebrating Independence Day at the stroke of midnight.

The protestors said no political party flags will be allowed in the rallies. However, groups representing marginal communities like LGBTQ+ would be permitted participation with flags.

The call for protest has garnered widespread support from almost all cross-sections of society.

The Kolkata Metro Railway has announced that it would run two pairs of additional trains in its north-south corridor to cater to the anticipated movement of protestors.

The Metro authorities also confirmed that it would keep all its counters open for physical purchase of tickets.

"Tonight is the night of freedom of women of women inside and outside West Bengal. A new freedom struggle begins tonight," said Rimjhim Sinha, who made the first call to this movement, in a Facebook post.

A poster, showing a red hand holding a crescent moon in the background of a night sky, has gone viral on social media.

The movement has quickly spread beyond its initial scope, with gatherings now planned in various towns and districts across Bengal.

Initially, three locations were mentioned for the gathering - College Street, Academy of Fine Arts, and Jadavpur 8B Bus Stand in Kolkata.

However, till Wednesday evening, the unique protest call for women to reclaim the night spread to large pockets of Kolkata and its neighbourhood, and also to places like Siliguri in north Bengal and Canning in the south.

Senior TMC MP Sukhendu Sekhar Ray, expressing his solidarity with the protesters, condemned the alleged rape and murder of a doctor at R G Kar Hospital.

"Today, I will sit on an individual dharna in front of the Netaji statue from 5 PM to 9 PM to register my protest and express my solidarity with women who will hit the streets tonight. Due to my age, I won't be able to join them at midnight, but I offer my full support," Ray said, emphasizing his connection to the cause as a father and grandfather.

In Hooghly, a close friend of a local Trinamool Congress MLA has been promoting the midnight protest, going door-to-door on her scooter.

The protest finds resonance in the 2007 "Operation Sunrise" in Nandigram, when the CPI(M) faced a barrage of allegations of orchestrating terror, with many children of Left leaders joining protest marches.