Aar kobe chitto bhoy shunno hobe … (How long before the mind shakes off fear)
These lines from singer Arijit Singh dedicated to "Abhaya" the victim lady doctor of RG Medical College Hospital became the leitmotif of Bengal's ongoing protest movement against what they called a "rotting system where sleaze and rape are as inseparable as the Siamese Twins."
This, even as Kolkata continued to erupt from tip to the toe with celebrities, and the common citizenry joining hundreds, maybe thousands of doctors in marches, in sit-in demonstrations, in forming kms-long human chains and night dharnas demanding justice for the lady doctor who was on August 9 raped and murdered inside Asia's one of the leading medical colleges.
Within days of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee advising her party men from a public meeting to "at least hiss at … if not bite" the detractors large posse of doctors on Monday took out a grand rally marching towards the Lal Bazaar Police Headquarters demanding resignation of Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal for not only failing to protect one of their colleagues at her work place but for allowing his team to destroy evidence allegedly at the behest of his handlers.
And to counter an armed-to-the-teeth police force the marching doctors carried with them red roses, bouquets and some fabricated Erect Spines apparently to remind the top cops their duty to safeguard the citizens first.
The doctors were barricaded away about a km from the Police Headquarters they squatted on the road beginning a sit-in demonstration and singing the Bollywood vocalists latest song that was uploaded on the YouTube a few days ago.
Immediately the busy BB Ganguli Street --- where the doctors were sitting in dharna till reports last came in on Monday evening --- became loaded with emotive slogans some of which read: "Spines are for sale" and No more grief … it is time for uprising." A few miles away the celebrities from the film and theater fraternities jammed Esplanade --- one of the busiest crossings of the country --- demanding "justice for RG Kar." The cine stars had spent the entire Sunday night awake on the streets.
Down South-eastern part of Kolkata citizens and doctors joined hands in protest forming a miles' long human chain.
"As the days are passing the demand for justice for Abhaya is turning into a demand for justice for the entire society … if the powers that be do not come to senses and continue to tough talk and act coercively then this demand will turn into a bigger demand for Change and those in power are well aware of what that term implies," said Ushashi a Bengali film actress.
The rallying doctors who carried replicas of "Erect Spines remained firm on their desire to gift some of those to the police bosses even as they said, "why are the police afraid … are we carrying knives or guns … we are carrying some spines and roses for them … because we want an end to this rape and kill culture … we want an end to this syndicate raj in the medical education where the students are forced to pay to pass their exams," said one of the junior doctors.
Elsewhere the BJP workers too held protests at many places in Cooch Behar, Malda, Birbhum and other places where they gheraoed the offices of the district magistrates and submitted deputations.
