A woman doctor was raped and murdered on August 9 in the city of Kolkata in the Indian state of West Bengal. After the rape and murder of the doctor, women took to the streets in many parts of India. Women held hands and chanted slogans “we want justice” in different demonstrations near universities, theater halls and bus terminals. Journalists working in the region commented: “We have never seen such a large gathering of women marching at night in the city before.” 

 

'JIN JIYAN AZADI' BANNER

 

Women have been organizing “take back the night” protests across the country since the massacre. Thousands of women took to the streets on the 8th day of the protests, shouting for “justice” and carrying a banner with the Kurdish women's slogan “jin, jiyan, azadi (Woman, life, freedom)”. 

 

Protests were also organized in other cities such as Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Pune. At times, protesters and police confronted each other and police fired tear gas to disperse the protesters.

 

1 SUSPECT DETAINED

 

Protests in India have been fueled by the way local authorities handled the rape and murder of the doctor. On August 8, after a 36-hour shift, the slain doctor had fallen asleep in a room where seminars were being held because there was no rest room for employees. The next morning her colleagues found her half-naked and badly injured body on the dais. Police detained a volunteer working at the hospital in connection with the rape. But after accusations of cover-up and negligence, the case was transferred from local police to the Central Bureau of Investigation.