Kolkata doctor rape-murder: 'Left kitchen to join protests for our daughters' safety,' say mothers

Kolkata protests: Mukta Bandhopadhyay was accompanied by her teenage daughter and (right) Shimuli had broght her eight-year-old daughter to the demonstration at Jadavpur on Thursday. (Image credit: Ankita Sengupta/Moneycontrol)

Mukta Bandhopadhyay is among the thousands of women who have taken to the streets after the brutal rape and murder of a resident doctor of Kolkata's state-run RG Kar College and Hospital. Mother to a teenage daughter, she has been actively participating in protests that have erupted across the city with her family in tow.

"We need a proper investigation into the case. The government and the police need to find the culprits. I don't care if the authorities have to search the skies or dig the ground to find them but those responsible must be brought to justice," the resident of Dhakuria in South Kolkata said.

Holding her daughter's hand as her husband stood by her side Bandhopadhyay said that she does not usually venture out of the house unless required but this was a call that she could not ignore. "There is so much violence against women, This is not the first instance. Housewives like us have mostly been focusing on the kitchen and feeding our families, but now, things have reached a stage where we cannot sit back. We will come on to streets with our spatulas and laddles, if required, so that the authorities hear our voice and bring the criminals to justice," she said.

Mothers take to the streets to stand in solidarity with the #KolkataDoctor raped and murdered at #RGKarMedicalCollegeHospital and demand a safe future for their daughters.#KolkataDoctorDeathCase #KolkataDoctorDeath #RGKAR #RGKarProtest pic.twitter.com/PFSTHUUHe8

— Ankita Sengupta (@AnkitaSengupta_) August 18, 2024

Shimuli, mother of an eight-year-old, said that she decided to participate in the protest for the sake of her daughter.

"I have been feeling very disturbed ever since I came to know about the RG Kar incident," she told Moneycontrol. "Gender violence is rampant these days and it's so easy to hurl rape threats on women on social media. I am here (protesting) with my daughter so that just like me, others also learn to stand up against such injustice."

The Jodhpur Park resident who has been taking part in protests since August 14 added that she hoped her daughter learned solidarity and friendship. "She has been seeing such incidents happen frequently. It's unfortunate that she was brought into a society like this but the sooner she realises the strength of expressing solidarity, the better," she said.

Meanwhile, Kolkata Police imposed prohibitory orders near state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital from Sunday till August 24, banning meetings and assembly of more than five persons, an order stated. The hospital had become the centre of agitation following the rape and murder of a woman doctor in its premises.