Silent rally taken out on RG Kar victim’s birthday

The first birthday of the RG Kar Hospital rape-murder victim since her death last year was marked by a silent rally in Kolkata in which doctors and people from all walks of life took part on Sunday.

The rally, which started at College Square near the Calcutta University campus, culminated near RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in north Kolkata, covering a distance of nearly 5 km.

Sunday marks the first birthday of the medic and also the completion of six months of the rape and murder that took place on August 9 last year.

The participants in the rally, including doctors and people from various other walks of life, had their mouths tied with black clothes and they held placards demanding justice for the victim.

One of the organisers of the protest under the banner of ‘Abhaya Manch’ said it was decided that the rally would be a silent one in view of the Class X West Bengal school board examinations starting on Monday.

Meanwhile, the West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Front on Sunday organised ‘Abhaya Clinic’, a health camp, at Sodepur in North 24 Parganas district, to mark her birthday.

“Over 110 patients availed services at Abhaya Clinic, and each was handed a sapling. Our sister loved plants and had dedicated her life to serving people,” a junior doctor said.

“The culprits have robbed us of our joy. We used to celebrate her birthday at night after she returned from hospital. Now, our only mission in life is to seek justice. Had we not admitted her to RG Kar, she would have been alive,” the victim’s parents lamented on Sunday.

The Junior Doctors’ Front alleged that its members were facing police harassment to demoralise and suppress protests demanding justice for their slain colleague. Despite this, the organisation vowed to continue its movement till justice is served.