RG Kar Protest: Kolkata witnessed high drama and chaos on Saturday, August 9, as a massive rally marking the one-year anniversary of the horrific RG Kar Medical College rape and murder case turned violent following police action. The protest, part of the ‘Nabanna Chalo Abhiyan’, saw participants demanding justice for the victim and the resignation of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over what they termed the government’s failure to protect women.
The victim’s parents, who were part of the march, alleged that they were injured during the police lathi-charge. Speaking to reporters, the mother of the RG Kar rape-murder victim claimed that during the scuffle her ‘shankha’—a traditional conch shell bangle—was broken and she sustained a head injury. “Why are they stopping us like this? All we want is to reach Nabanna and seek justice for my daughter,” she said, visibly shaken. The emotional outpouring underscored the anguish of a family that has been fighting relentlessly for justice since August 9 last year, when the body of a postgraduate trainee doctor was discovered inside the seminar hall of the medical institute. The autopsy revealed that she had been raped and murdered, with disturbing details emerging of severe injuries, including shards of glass from her broken spectacles piercing her eyes.
Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, who led BJP MLAs in the march, accused the police of excessive force and confirmed that several lawmakers were injured. Protesters clashed with security forces at the Park Street crossing in central Kolkata after they attempted to breach barricades to move towards Vidyasagar Setu, defying repeated police warnings to remain at the designated assembly point on Rani Rashmoni Road. Similar scenes played out in Howrah, where another large crowd was stopped from approaching the West Bengal Secretariat.
The rally saw demonstrators scaling 10-foot-high barricades and, in some cases, using blunt objects to smash through iron barriers in a bid to break police lines. Chants for justice and calls for Mamata Banerjee’s resignation echoed through the streets as protesters accused the state government of shielding the guilty and failing to ensure safety for women. Many carried placards depicting the victim’s image alongside slogans demanding action, while others waved BJP flags and joined in coordinated chants targeting the administration.
Police presence was heavy across the protest route, with multiple layers of barricades and personnel deployed to prevent marchers from reaching Nabanna. The tense standoff highlighted the growing political pressure on the state government as the case continues to resonate deeply across Bengal. For the grieving parents, however, the fight remains personal, rooted in a tragic loss they refuse to let the public forget.
The RG Kar rape-murder case has become a symbol of outrage against crimes against women in West Bengal, and the events of August 9 proved that the demand for justice remains as intense as it was a year ago. As tempers flared and police clashed with protesters, the city was reminded once again of a brutal crime that continues to haunt both the victim’s family and the conscience of the state.