‘Reclaim the Night Again’: Civil society group plans protest over Durgapur rape case on Oct 14

Kolkata, Oct 13 (PTI) Civil society members associated with Abhaya Manch, which was formed following the rape‑murder of a woman medico from RG Kar Medical College, on Monday announced a 'Reclaim the Night Again' protest in response to the alleged gangrape of a junior doctor in West Bengal's Durgapur.

The Women‑Trans‑Queer United wing of Abhaya Manch said hundreds, including women from various backgrounds, will gather on October 14 at 8 pm near Jadavpur 8B Bus Stand, demanding "exemplary punishment" for those involved in the crime against the second year medical student on October 10 night.

"On August 8 this year, we took to the streets demanding justice for our brutalised‑murdered sister of R G Kar from late night hours. But nothing seemed to have changed as predators are preying on women, including doctors, either inside medical college campuses or nearby," said writer‑activist Satabdi Das, spokesperson of the platform.

"The administration is caught napping. We need to hit the streets again and again till women and trans‑queer communities feel free and secure to move at any time," she added.

Das added, "Hence, to reclaim our space and demand safety in both home and world, there is an imperative need to ‘Reclaim the Night Again’, even during festive season, as the administration has failed us." She also criticised West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for her earlier remarks advising female students not to venture out late at night.

"Our gathering will protest against such patriarchal, misogynist thinking where women are told to stay indoors after dusk. Why can’t police step up surveillance?" she asked.

A 23-year-old second-year MBBS student of a private medical college in Durgapur was allegedly gang-raped near her campus on the night of October 10.

According to police reports, the survivor, a native of Odisha, was returning from dinner with a friend when three men accosted her near Shobhapur in the industrial township, about 170 km from Kolkata.

The accused allegedly snatched her phone, dragged her into a wooded area, and raped her before demanding money to return her belongings.

West Bengal Police on Monday arrested two more persons in connection with the case, taking the total number of arrests to five.

"I am shocked to see the incident, but private medical colleges also have to take care of their students, especially the girl child. They should not be allowed to go outside at night," the chief minister had said earlier.

One year ago, after the August 8 heinous crime at R G Kar, thousands of people, a sizeable section of them women, had taken to the street on August 14 and later during September in the city and across Bengal demanding justice.

While the West Bengal Junior Doctors Front, which had been on the frontline against the crime at R G Kar, held protests against the Durgapur incident in Paschim Bardhaman district, the BJP held an indefinite sit-in before the Durgapur township commercial hub City Centre since October 11. PTI SUS MNB