'How Do You Get Justice For This Doctor?'

The anger and the anguish are on the rise.
News of a botched-up post mortem, tampering of evidence, a hurried cremation has gone global, reports Payal Singh Mohanka from London.

The outrage has touched a chord globally. The piercing cry for justice reverberated at Parliament Square in London on Sunday, September 8, 2024, evening as hundreds congregated near the statue of Mahatma Gandhi.

They are thousands of miles away from Kolkata, but their hearts too are deeply saddened.

It has been a month since the horrific rape and murder of a 31-year-old doctor at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College. Kolkata and those around the world wait for justice.

A Tricolour waved, some held banners seeking justice for the RG Kar victim, some had bindis on the forehead asking for justice for Abhaya while others lent their voice to the cry for justice.

This was not the first demonstration in London and till justice is not done this may not be the last.

Protesters, a large percentage with roots in Bengal, maybe away from home but the heart still beats for Bengal.

Here are some angry voices from the demonstration...

Ayan Bhattacharjee, consultant: "This is brutal, this is appalling. A lady, a doctor at her workplace is raped and murdered. Those who should ensure justice are trying to hide it, they are trying to shake their hands off it. We will add our voice to the protests in India. I am not in Kolkata physically. But I am there with them with all my heart."

Namita Mukherjee, who came to the protest with her barrister son: "I was shocked to hear this news. Unbelievable. RG Kar is supposed to be one of the best medical colleges in Kolkata. My husband came to London in the early sixties. He had done his MBBS in Calcutta National Medical College."

Her son Krishnendu Mukherjee, a barrister adds: "This is absolutely disgraceful and outrageous. A woman doctor is killed in a hospital while she is on duty. There is no proper investigation, there seems to be political interference at the highest level. They have a scapegoat. Many others seem to be involved. The evidence has been tampered with."

"As a lawyer I understand you need to have due process, you need to have accountability, ultimately you need to have a just outcome. In countries where there is corruption in the police and administration, justice can take years. Ultimately conviction is on faith."

Tanya Sinha, who joined the Sunday evening protest: "I am mortified as a woman and a woman of Bengal. This has happened in our state and nothing has been done as yet. It has been 30 days. Hope this isn't going to be washed away till the next situation happens."

The shock and horror is unprecedented as Joyeeta Mukherjee points out, "I don't recall any kind of gathering, any kind of unity like this. Nirbhaya had sent shock waves but here it is not just the brutal rape, it is the multi-layer cover-up, deceit and corruption that has pushed civil society out to protest. When my mother first told me she was following the news and something bigger was happening."

"There was massive corruption that reached the highest levels of Bengal politics. The victim was going to expose something, I told her this isn't a Hindi movie! When I began reading, I realised my mother was right. Something sinister is happening," she adds.

"I am from a middle class family. My father was a doctor. If you are in India it could happen to anyone. It could happen to one of my relatives, my friends. How do you get justice for this young doctor? It is very scary."

The anger and the anguish are on the rise. News of a botched-up post mortem, tampering of evidence, a hurried cremation has gone global.

The world is watching and waiting for justice.

Feature Presentation: Rajesh Alva/Rediff.com