Kolkata: Amidst the sea of mineral water and packaged food, a small delivery package became a symbol of protest across West Bengal, sparked by the tragic killing of a doctor at the R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital.
Addressed to ‘All Doctors Protesting There Continuously’, it is a pack of four water bottles paid for and sent by delivery personnel.
A movement against the brutal workplace murder as well systemic corruption by medical students, who are part of one of the most elite branches of education, has garnered surprising solidarity from the blue-collar working class.
On the morning of the third day of the junior doctors’ sit-in protest at Swasthya Bhavan, the state health department’s headquarters, a group of men from the nearby Rajarhat neighbourhood arrived with two large containers of hot coffee and biscuits.
Wearing black headbands that read ‘Justice for R.G. Kar’, they distributed coffee and then joined the demonstration.
Two middle-aged women, government hospital nurses, walked in. They planned to stay there for the next few hours before leaving for their night shifts.
“We are also victims of threat culture,” said one of the nurses, who works at the Barasat Medical College. “We cannot protest for fear of transfer. As a woman, I find it unacceptable that the chief minister discourages night shifts for women instead of ensuring our safety.”
Water bottles delivered to demonstrators. Photo: Aparna Bhattacharya.
For the past month, Sreyashi Das has actively organised protest rallies in her hometown of Suri or attending sit-ins in Kolkata, where she works as an HR professional in an IT company.
“This is a protest for all of us. If I don’t stand up today, when will I? This government has repeatedly shielded criminals while blaming the victims. We’ve been pushed to the edge,” Das said.
Despite the Supreme Court’s directive and repeated appeals from the state government for dialogue, the junior doctors seem determined to continue their sit-in protest and cease work. The government on Thursday (September 12) accepted their conditions for chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s presence, but refused a live broadcast of the negotiations to break the deadlock.
The government told the Supreme Court that 23 people had died in government hospitals due to a lack of treatment during the protests.
“If you look at the monthly death toll in the emergency department, it becomes clear that the government isn’t being truthful. Is the government suggesting that senior doctors are incapable of managing the situation?” asked Geeta, a first-year post-graduate trainee (PGT) at the Kolkata Medical College who has protested since August 9, the day of the R.G. Kar incident.
She continued: “There is a severe shortage of medical professionals, including senior doctors, nurses and support staff. The authorities need to reflect and take steps to prevent this from happening again.”
Graffiti by protestors in Kolkata. Photo: Aparna Bhattacharya.
“My daughter is regretting joining R.G. Kar Medical College,” said Anisha, who has been accompanying her daughter to protest sites. Her daughter, a PGT student at R.G. Kar, was on night duty the day before the R.G. Kar incident.
“She has told me the infrastructure is in poor condition and that she doesn’t feel safe. In fact, she was warned about the dangers of the hospital on her first day.”
On Monday, following a Supreme Court hearing, Banerjee urged the public to move on from protests and return to festive celebrations. However, her appeal seemed to fuel further outrage.
During a protest held by doctors outside Swasthya Bhavan, the grieving mother of the murdered doctor condemned the chief minister’s remarks, calling them “insensitive”.
Addressing the crowd, she said, “We used to celebrate Durga Puja with our daughter, but we will never celebrate Durga Puja or any other festival again. Her remarks are hurtful. Let her bring back our daughter. Would she have said the same if this tragedy happened to her family?”
A gathering of protestors in Kolkata. Photo: Aparna Bhattacharya.
Anurag Maitrayee, a trans activist who has taken part in the movement, said, “She [Banerjee] is talking about celebrating the festival. What would we celebrate? The procession of death? She wants to use the festival because she failed to give protection to women, minorities, LGBTQ community and common people. She wants us to forget the bureaucratic and political corruption in the name of the festival.
“But she will not be able to stop this mass movement. We will continue our protest during the Durga Puja.”
Several puja committees in Kolkata and surrounding districts have already declared they will reject government grants in protest of the R.G. Kar incident.
Citizens from diverse backgrounds have come together, united by a shared demand for justice and accountability in a movement that remains free of political affiliation. The lack of direct political influence, combined with its deep roots in the community, has posed a formidable challenge for the Banerjee government.
“What happened at R.G. Kar was the culmination of the rot in the system. The administration is corrupt. Anger has been brewing against the government for a long time. The rape and murder at the hospital triggered the outrage,” said theatre artist Madhurima Goswami.
She and her mother Mukti Goswami are familiar figures at protests throughout the city.
Mukti criticised the chief minister for her handling of the incident. She stated, “She has failed on every front. We must push her to change both her attitude and the administration. I’ve participated in over 50 protests since the ‘Reclaim the Night’ movement and I will continue to protest until change comes.”