Kolkata Turns Off Lights, Hits Streets Against Doctor Rape-Murder; Victim's Parents Say Cops Tried To Bribe

In a unique yet powerful display of civic solidarity, residents in West Bengal's Kolkata turned off lights for an hour from 9 pm on Wednesday and scores of people, many women, hit the streets with burning candles to protest against the alleged rape and murder of a trainee doctor at state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, whose body was found at the seminar hall of the facility on August 9.

The pan-India protests over the alleged Kolkata rape and murder have been going on since the day the victim's body was found, with the West Bengal city taking out a similar night protest in the intervening night of August 14 and 15, a peaceful demonstration which turned violent as unidentified people vandalised the hospital where the alleged crime took place.

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'Reclaim The Night' Protest In Kolkata: Large crowds gathered across Kolkata, Howrah, and Salt Lake, taking to the streets with candles as part of the "Reclaim the Night" campaign and mobile phone torches, chanting "We want justice" and demanding accountability for the alleged gruesome rape-murder of the trainee doctor. In Kolkata, protests were held in prominent landmarks including Shyambazar five-point crossing, Moulali, New Town Biswa Bangla Gate, Rashbehari crossing, Behala, Garia, Ballygunge, Hazra crossing and Jadavpur 8B bus stand.

ALSO READ | 'May Have Passed Away': Shocking Audio Clips Of RG Kar Hospital’s Calls To Doctor's Parents Surface

Kolkata Turns Off Lights: The West Bengal Junior Doctors' Front, which had called for the protest, titled the event 'Let There Be Light, Let There Be Justice' had planned it to coincide with the Supreme Court's scheduled hearing in the rape-murder case on September 5, which was deferred due to CJI Chandrachud's absence. At 9 pm sharp on Wednesday, prominent landmarks such as the Victoria Memorial and Raj Bhavan, along with many homes across the city, its suburbs and districts, plunged into darkness as part of the protest.

Victim's Family's Big Claims: Family members of the victim on Wednesday joined the protesting medics at RG Kar hospital. They accused the Kolkata Police of attempting to suppress the case by hurriedly cremating the body of the doctor. Participating in the protests at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, the parents also accused a senior police officer of trying to bribe them after the incident came to light. “The police, from the very beginning, tried to hush up the case. We were not allowed to see the body and had to wait at the police station while the body was taken for post-mortem examinations. Later, when the body was handed over to us, a senior police official offered us money, which we immediately declined,” news agency PTI quoted the father of the deceased doctor as saying.

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Former RG Kar Principal Moves SC: The former principal of Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College, Sandip Ghosh, on Wednesday approached the Supreme Court challenging a Calcutta High Court decision that ordered a CBI investigation into his alleged financial irregularities. On Tuesday, a Kolkata court sent Ghosh and three others to CBI custody for eight days as part of the ongoing investigation into alleged financial misconduct at RG Kar Medical College, allegations that came out amid scrutiny over the facility post the alleged rape-murder case. As per the cause list of September 6 uploaded on the apex court website, Ghosh's plea is slated to come up for hearing before a bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud.

ALSO READ | Kolkata Doctor Rape: Cops Deny 'Bedsheet Change' Claims, Disagree With Hospital's Audio Clips

Reclaim The Night Protest Turns Violent In Mathabhanga: The 'Reclaim The Night' campaign across West Bengal turned violent in Mathabhanga town when a protester was allegedly assaulted by members of the Trinamool Congress (TMC). Pradyut Saha, a branch secretary of the CPI(M) and an employee of the Mathabhanga municipality, was reportedly attacked during a demonstration by the West Bengal Democratic Writers’ and Artistes’ Association and the People's Theatre Association to demand justice for the murdered doctor.

HC Seeks CBI Report On Social Media Posts Over Victim: The Calcutta High Court on Thursday directed the CBI to file a report by September 18 on detestable posts being made on social media regarding the rape-murder victim of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. The court reportedly noted that nasty comments, which are far from being acceptable to any member of the society, have been made with the photograph of the victim as found in the copies of the offending posts provided by the petitioner. The court asked the Additional Solicitor General Asok Kumar Chakrabarti, representing the central agency, whether it could find a way to block these types of posts.