Reminiscent of the "Reclaim the Night" gatherings on August 14 when people, more so the women from all walks of life and layers of the society collected on the boulevards of Kolkata and elsewhere and remained "awake and vigilant" through the night to protest against the brutal rape and murder of the junior lady doctor of RG Kar Medical College Hospital the citizenry of Bengal once again responded overwhelmingly to the call of the doctors' community by switching off the lights of their respective houses from 9 pm to 10 pm on Wednesday and taking out candle marches.
In fact in many areas like Patuli, Anandapur, New Town, Maniktalla, Shyambazar the programme including the candle light marches started a well-nigh one hour before schedule.
This, even as the neighbourhoods were rented with the cry of "we want justice." In New Town several thousand professionals of the Information Technology sector joined in an evening march with their mobile lights on demanding justice for Abhaya, the victim doctor who was found raped and murdered inside the seminar hall of the Hospital in the morning of August 9.
The members of the State Junior Doctors' Forum had earlier called for a "switch-off-your-lights" programme. "We thank the people for giving us such overwhelming support for all these days in our fight for justice and appeal to them to switch off their lights at homes for an hour from 9 pm to 10 pm and light up candles as a symbol of our journey to Justice with light," said Dr Mahato one of the leaders of the Junior Doctors' Forum
The same Forum of doctors had on Tuesday led a long procession to the Lal Bazar Police headquarters and handed over along with a replica of an "Erect Spine," a list of demands to the Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal.
Incidentally the list contained a demand for his resignation as he had failed to perform his public duty by ensuring an impartial investigation into the case which was subsequently transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation by the Calcutta High Court. The Commissioner however said that he was satisfied with his performance but said that he was ready to step down if his higher authorities would ask him to do so.
Cut to Wednesday. People including the members of the civil society, professionals, lawyers, workers tea vendors, taxi drivers and even the shanty men joined the Wednesday's call not only switching off their lights but also taking out small candle light rallies in groups of hundreds.
