This article includes accounts of rape and physical assault
The brutal at one of the largest government-run hospitals in the eastern Indian city of Kolkata in August 2024 , leading to demonstrations in several cities across India.
The protests spread and morphed into a women’s social justice movement, “Reclaim the Night,” which .
The 31-year-old junior medic had been found dead at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, West Bengal, after working a 36-hour shift.
Government response to Kolkata doctor rape
Following the incident, West Bengal’s state government introduced a called “Rattirer Shaathi” (Helpers of the Night) to protect women working night shifts in hospitals and similar institutions.
As part of the program, restrictions were put in place preventing staff, including doctors, from working more than 12 hours at a stretch. Other measures included CCTV-monitored safe zones for women in hospitals, police deployments at major medical facilities, and a balanced gender representation in security staff — with both male and female guards.
A cell phone app, Bondhu, with an alarm feature connected to local police stations was launched, and women were encouraged to use helpline numbers in case of emergencies.
Suspect now incarcarated
Sanjay Roy, a 33-year-old police volunteer and the sole suspect in the case, was . Following an investigation by India’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and other agencies, the Sealdah Criminal Court found Roy guilty and .
However, the victim’s family and junior doctors’ groups have questioned the scope of the investigation. Roy himself claimed he had been falsely implicated.
Allegations of police ‘harassment’
On August 14, 2025, the eve of India’s 79th Independence Day, thousands of people — predominantly women — gathered across Kolkata and other parts of West Bengal to commemorate the anniversary of the attack.
During one of the rallies, the mother of the junior doctor was reportedly injured. According to local media, the victim’s father emailed the Kolkata police commissioner, alleging that the injury was the result of a “preplanned” and “deliberate attack” by police officers.
The police said they reviewed video footage of the incident but found no evidence to support the allegations.
The father also claimed that police harassed him when he tried to file a formal complaint, repeatedly sending him from one police station to another to do so.
Tamonas Chaudhuri, national convenor of Abhaya Mancha, a civil society organization, said that such claims of harassment have caused people to withdraw from the Reclaim the Night movement.
Many women attending the rallies, however, noted that the movement had lost its momentum since the incident.
“I attended the night protests last year. I still don’t understand why the movement stalled…” said a homemaker who actively joined the protests last year.
“The movement came out as a reaction to the shock after the incident,” said Swati Chakrabarty, a social activist. “Some civil society organizations are still carrying [forward] with the movement but I doubt it’s [happening] outside Bengal.”
Sampa Sen, a human rights activist, said the Reclaim the Night movement has drawn attention to criminal activity within a government-run hospital. She also pointed to reports of serious flaws in the investigation, including poor security measures and inadequate CCTV coverage, and questioned whether a non-political movement can truly achieve justice in the face of institutional obstacles.
Are women safer today?
have been under the spotlight in India since the brutal on a New Delhi bus.
Reports in June 2025 about the gang rape of a 24-year-old law student at South Calcutta Law College raised fresh concerns about women’s safety.
Dr. Asfakulla Naiya, a leader of the doctors’ protest, said that safety for doctors — especially women — has seen little improvement. “Increasing recruitment and funding in health care and educational sectors is the key to real change,” he suggested.
Chaudhuri claimed that safety measures have only been partially implemented in government hospitals. “Though CCTV and armed guards are added, significant gaps remain in safety.”
Chakrabarty said that the helpline number remains largely ineffective due to insufficient staffing.
She also stressed that women’s safety has not yet been fully prioritized. However, she noted, Reclaim the Night highlighted women’s rights — even in rural areas — empowering them to speak out.
Edited by: Keith Walker
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