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.