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[Text/Observer Network Wang Kaiwen] An Indian female intern doctor was brutally raped and killed in a hospital, igniting the anger of the Indian people. In recent days, protests in India have continued to escalate.

According to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), from the evening of August 14 to the early morning of August 15, local time, when India's Independence Day was approaching, tens of thousands of women in West Bengal, where the hospital was located, took to the streets to hold a "Take Back the Night" march, bringing the week-long protests to a climax. The report said that this was not the first time India had held a "Take Back the Night" march, but the march in Kolkata was the largest so far.

As the protests continued, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on the 15th that he felt the anger of the people and that Indians should "think seriously about the atrocities against our mothers, sisters and daughters." But Modi did not directly mention the rape and murder.

On August 14, 2024, local time, in Kolkata, India, women held torches and participated in the demonstration. Visual China

"It's 2024, and Indian women are still facing these problems"

The "Take Back the Night" march originated in the UK in 1977 with the aim of protesting against rape and violence against women and allowing women to move freely in public spaces at night.

The Guardian said that the anger of the Indian people stems not only from the horrific experience of the murder of the intern, but also from the daily struggles faced by Indian women to live freely. The organizers of the march said that they chose Independence Day to raise the question: When will women gain independence?

The BBC described that in Kolkata, women firmly participated in the march, holding protest placards, their faces illuminated by the light of mobile phones, candles and burning torches, and some held the Indian flag. Men also joined in. At many rallies near universities, theaters and bus terminals, demonstrators held hands and united, and the humid air echoed with loud and powerful shouts of "We want justice."

Demonstrators holding torches and banners took part in the march AFP

Organizers of the march previously said that "men are welcome as allies and observers," but stressed that flags of any political party should not be brought to the demonstrations.

As the morning hours approached on India's 77th Independence Day (August 15), people spontaneously sang the Indian national anthem in the rain. "Many people rushed out of their homes despite the heavy rain to join the crowd, chanting slogans about justice, safety and respect," wrote The Guardian.

"Women are not respected! Our value is even lower than that of cattle and sheep," one protester said angrily.

“When will we be independent? How long do we have to wait before we can work without fear? Another 50 years?” one student demanded.

A woman holds a placard as she attends a candlelight vigil outside the Jadavpur University campus in Kolkata. Reuters

A woman who took part in the march with her two granddaughters told The Daily Telegraph that the incident shocked the whole of India. "The girl who was abused was a doctor on duty. If the government cannot ensure the safety of women in public institutions, what hope is there?"

"We are here to seek justice because I also have a daughter. I am now afraid to send her anywhere... afraid to send her to school," Rinky Ghosh, who was protesting in Kolkata, told Reuters that she was here today because she had to do something and "this injustice must stop."

On August 14, 2024, local time, demonstrators held a rally in Kolkata, India. Visual China

"We have never seen such a large-scale women's nighttime rally and march in this city before," said a local reporter.

Sanchari Mukherjee, a digital magazine editor who set out with thousands of protesters, said she met "people of all ages and classes, rich, middle class and poor" along the way.

As the procession passed brightly lit homes, the whole city seemed to wake up, Mukherjee said, with people peering out of windows and crowding on balconies to watch. “They may not be participating, but they are with us in spirit.”

She admitted that she felt deeply hurt by every Indian woman and was "frustrated that they still have to face these problems in 2024."

The BBC said that although the protests were generally calm, the police clashed with a small group of unidentified men who broke into the RG Kar Hospital and looted the emergency room. The police fired tear gas to disperse the crowd and some police cars were damaged. The New York Times said that the thugs also attacked doctors who participated in the protest.

The BBC said this was not the first time India had held a "Take Back the Night" march. In 1978, women in Mumbai held such a march to defend their right to walk freely in public places in protest of a woman being raped on the street. But the march in Kolkata was the largest to date.

"We have occupied this night and we have never seen anything like this in the city. This is unprecedented and I hope this will wake up the authorities," said protester Chaitali Sen.

On August 14, 2024, local time, demonstrators held a protest in Kolkata, India. Visual China

On the evening of the 14th, small-scale protests also broke out in cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Pune.

According to the Hindustan Times, the women's wing of India's ruling BJP will hold a candlelight rally at the residence of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee (Congress Party) on the 16th local time, demanding her resignation over the rape and murder of an intern and the destruction of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. The communist party Indian Socialist Unity Centre called for a 12-hour general strike in West Bengal on the 16th.

It is reported that Banerjee herself has also announced a protest to demand justice for the murdered intern. She will take to the streets on the 17th to call for the death penalty for the suspect.

Modi: Indians needThink carefully about this issue

On the morning of August 9, local time, the body of a 31-year-old female intern was found in a seminar room at the RG Kar Medical College Hospital in Kolkata. According to colleagues, the intern had to rest on the carpet in the seminar room after working for 36 hours straight, as the hospital had no doctor's dormitory or rest room.

NDTV said that the preliminary autopsy report showed that the intern was killed after being sexually assaulted between 3 and 6 a.m. that day. She was also violently attacked before her death. The perpetrator hit the victim so hard that her glasses broke and the fragments pierced her eyes. In addition, "the victim's mouth and private parts were bleeding. She had injuries on her face, abdomen, left leg, neck, right ring finger and lips."

After the incident, Indian police took away the 33-year-old suspect, Sanjoy Roy. It was reported that the man was a volunteer of the local police station and was stationed at the police post of the hospital where the incident occurred. The man had been married at least four times and had abused his wife. He showed no remorse when he was taken away by the police.

Earlier this week, many public hospitals in cities across India suspended all services except emergency departments, with doctors staging sit-in protests demanding justice for the victims.

According to CNN, Sarvesh Pandey, secretary general of the Federation of Indian Resident Doctors' Associations (FORDA), said that more than 300,000 doctors joined the protest on the 12th. Many medical associations called on doctors to stop all non-emergency medical services indefinitely. They hope that the case will be heard as soon as possible and call on the government to establish relevant institutions to protect the safety of doctors.

On August 14, 2024, local time, in Kolkata, India, medical professionals and activists shouted slogans to protest and condemn the rape and murder of an intern doctor. Visual China

The Federation of All India Medical Associations sent a letter to Indian Minister of Health and Family Welfare Nadda on the 14th, stating that it would continue the indefinite strike.

The organization issued a statement on social media saying that it had made two demands to Nadda: first, establish a legislative framework to ensure comprehensive protection for doctors and healthcare professionals across India to address the increasing incidents of violence against them and ensure a safe working environment for them; second, Gao Xi, the dean of the hospital affiliated to RG Kar Medical College, who has resigned, should be suspended instead of transferred elsewhere.

The New York Times said that although the Indian police have arrested a suspect, doctors are not satisfied with the results of the investigation, accusing the police of covering up the facts and believing that the autopsy report shows that there are likely to be multiple people involved in the crime. The Kolkata Police Chief responded that the police never said that only one person was responsible for the case.

As the protests continued, the Calcutta High Court has transferred the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation.

On August 15, 2024, local time, the Indian capital New Delhi held an Independence Day celebration and Prime Minister Modi delivered a speech Visual China

Sexual violence against women is a widespread problem in India. According to data from the National Crime Records Bureau of India, an average of nearly 90 rapes occurred in India every day in 2022.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke of growing discontent in the country at an event marking India's Independence Day on August 15, but did not directly mention the rape and murder in Kolkata. He said that as a society, Indians should "think seriously about the atrocities against our mothers, sisters and daughters."

"The whole country is angry about this. The common man is angry and I feel the anger," Modi said. "Our country, our society and state governments need to take this issue seriously. Crimes against women should be investigated more urgently."

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