KOLKATA ;
THOUSANDS of women across West Bengal marched in midnight as part of the
second edition of the “Reclaim the Night” campaign, demanding justice for a doctor who was allegedly raped and murdered at a state-run hospital in Kolkata last
month.
The campaign on
Wednesday night, the
second one after August
14, witnessed stray undesired incidents in which
two persons were taken
into custody by the police
in separate spots of
Kolkata for misbehaving
with protesting women.
In north Bengal’s
Mathabhanga town, a
protester was assaulted
allegedly by members of
the Trinamool Congress
(TMC).
The “Reclaim the
Night” movement, largely driven by social media,
gained momentum as
protests kicked off at 11:30 pm, marking the second such gathering since a midnight campaign on August 14. Across the state, from small towns to bustling cities,
the air reverberated with the rallying cry: “We want justice” Political party flags were
notablyabsent,andprotesters were seen holding the
national flags aloft, underscoring the unified call for
justicebeyondpartisanlines.
At various spots in and
around Kolkata, women
fromallwalksoflife – actors,
students, professionals and
homemakers – marched
togethercarryingpostersand
candles,theirvoicesrisingin
unison against the violence
that had claimed the doctor’s life.
In a particularly moving
momentinthecity’sSealdah
Station, pavement dwellers
joined the demonstration,
with some women blowing
conch shells,atraditional
symbol of resistance and
defiance.
The sound resonated
through the station, adding
an unexpected yet reinvigorating touch to the protest.
The movement spread to
other key locations in variousdistricttowns, including
Berhampore, Chinsurah,
Santiniketan,Krishnanagar,
Bardhaman, Siliguri,
Barasat, Barrackpore,
Rajarhat-Newtown, Cooch
Behar, Mathabhanga and
Jalpaiguri.