Whatever the legal and political outcome in the rape-murder of an on-duty doctor at the R.G. Kar Hospital, the public response to the incident is being seen as the biggest mass movement Kolkata has witnessed post-Independence, with only a couple of outcries that still remain in people’s memory, one of them being when the tram fare was raised by one paisa.
Also read: Kolkata doctor rape and murder case: A timeline of events
But while the other memorable displays of public anger — tram burning in 1953 over hike in fare, food movement in 1959, and more recently protests against the Nandigram firing, in 2007 — had political parties involved some way or the other, the movement for justice in the R.G. Kar Hospital case belongs to the common people of Kolkata: the masses.
“This is undoubtedly the first mass agitation in Bengal after independence. The movement grew organically and it is possible that even some Trinamool Congress women are participating in it. It is independent of political ideologies and has evolved into a call for conscience, something that is lacking today. Because of this, it is receiving support from people across the world,” said acclaimed documentary-maker Mahadeb Shi, himself a regular participant in protests, the ones for saving the iconic Kolkata tram.
“In fact, the current movement may be compared to the 1953 tram fare protest, which was pivotal in Kolkata’s history, reflecting the city’s political and social tensions in the post-independence era. There are many common factors that sparked the initiation of both movements. In both instances, students played a key role, which added to the energy and idealism; also, at the moment, Kolkata is facing the same economic decline and rising unemployment as it saw in 1950s,” Mr. Shi told The Hindu.
A road leading to West Bengal State Health Headquarters is blocked during a protest by the members of the Junior Doctors Forum demanding justice against the rape and murder of a resident doctor at R.G. Kar Hospital, in Kolkata. | Photo Credit: AP
So widespread has been the public outcry in the rape-murder case that even Salt Lake City, a self-contained township that usually remains insulated from the noise of protests, became an integral part of it right from the beginning. In fact, the neighbourhood is presently serving as the epicentre of the movement because the Health Department, where young doctors are staging a sit-in in spite of the rains, is located there.
Also read: Kolkata doctor rape and murder case: The complete coverage
“Bengal, particularly Kolkata, has never seen such mass protests that were non-political in the beginning. After all, it is the heinous killing of a young woman, who was a doctor and a meritorious student. Salt Lake City could not have been left out. Also, a demographic change in the neighbourhood over the years, from urban elites to homogenisation with the masses, has made it a part of the protest,” said technocrat-entrepreneur Indranil Aich, a long-time resident.
Ishita Mukhopadhyay, a professor of economics at the University of Calcutta, said the movement had acquired the international language of protest, like what happened in the Occupy movement and Black Lives Matter, when people of all professions were involved and new solidarity groups were formed.
“From the decade of 2010, many countries of the world have seen mass uprisings like the Occupy movement, Arab Spring, etc. The language in which the protest speaks is through slogans, music, plays, with the central slogan visible in every place. In this case, it is Justice. Pasted on your shirt, shop doors, stations, everywhere. This is the international pattern of involving masses,” Prof. Mukhopadhyay said.
Everybody in Kolkata is talking about ‘R.G. Kar’. In buses, in suburban trains. Taxi drivers, who normally keep to themselves, are joining in conversations of passengers. Gouri Ganguly, a school teacher, recently went to a popular saree shop at Lake Market to buy Durga Puja gifts for her domestic helps. The shop was empty, even at seven in the evening. Once the purchases were made, the shop owner asked Ms. Ganguly if she would like to see sarees for herself. When she refused, the owner said, “Yes, I cannot even persuade you. I know what the mood is like.”
Published - September 14, 2024 12:54 pm IST
