Bengali film personalities join protest against doctor's murder

Film director Aparna Sen and numerous other prominent personalities from the Bengali film industry on Sunday joined thousands of people in a massive rally demanding justice for a trainee doctor who was raped-murdered at RG Kar hospital in Kolkata last month.

In addition to the 'Mahamichhil', two other rallies took place elsewhere in the city.

While one was organised by the alumni of Ramakrishna Mission-run educational institutions, another involved students and past pupils from a well-known convent school, both echoing the demand for justice for the medic.

At the mega rally that kicked-off at College Square, Sen, accompanied by fellow artistes such as Swastika Mukherjee, Sudipta Chakraborty, Chaiti Ghosal, Sohini Sarkar, and others, marched along Central Avenue demanding justice for the postgraduate trainee doctor.

Asked by reporters, the eminent actor-turned-director said, "We are walking on the road together, demanding justice. If needed, I will hit the road again."

"Common people have the right to demand answers and know the truth. The deep-rooted anguish comes from the bottom of our hearts. But we have faith in the judiciary, and we are hopeful about the investigation," she added.

Swastika Mukherjee voiced her concern, saying, "So many days have passed since the August 9 incident. After one arrest, we have not heard any further updates from the investigating agency. The initial attempt by the hospital administration to dismiss the death as a suicide and the arrest of only one person have compelled the people of this state to come out of their homes. We have all come together to demand justice."

A junior doctors' forum, which has been protesting since the RG Kar incident, also joined the rally.

In south Kolkata, alumni of Ramakrishna Mission schools and other educational institutions marched from Golpark to Rabindra Sadan Exide Crossing carrying banners with the message Tamaso Ma Jyotirgamaya (Lead me from darkness to light), and demanded a fair, impartial investigation and the arrest of all those involved in the crime.

In another rally, around 300 alumni, along with current students and guardians from St John's Diocesan Girls' Higher Secondary School, walked from Minto Park to the school compound before forming a human chain near Exide Crossing along AJC Bose Road.

They also displayed a symbolic image of a spine with the slogan "Our spines are not up for sale" at the rally.

Women members of the Trinamool Congress staged protests at various blocks, advocating for amendments in laws to ensure capital punishment for rapists.

Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party has been staging a sit-in at Dorina Crossing in Esplanade since August 29.