It was between the midnight hours of August 14 and 15, the skies were dark, the streets empty, the weather a little cold, a lot like our system and humanity after the rape and murder of Kolkata’s trainee doctor in the State-run R G Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata.
But then a flickering light shone on the eve of Independence Day. Instead of celebrating the long weekend with friends and parties, a group of like-minded youth in their early and late 20s and 30s gathered around Goa Medical College for a silent march to seek justice for the 31-year-old doctor, on whom inhumanity befell within the confines of healing.
Collective conscience was on display as people holding handmade placards of protest in their hands and with the glow of the candlelight their faces marched determinedly in a show of solidarity.
The idea of the protest came rather impulsively when digital content creators and a few doctor friends felt that Goa was just paying lip-service to this grave crime in the society; and it all happened within a few hours of deciding to hold the silent march.
“I felt helpless seeing protests across India but none in Goa. I formed an Instagram group and created a poster calling for help and support which was shared widely on the site. It was incredible to witness over 100 people and the power of solidarity as people came out at midnight,” says Jigyasaa Malhotra, who organised the event.
The march had people from different walks of life and, most importantly, there were doctors, consultants and trainees who marched, making up at least 30 percent of the crowd. Besides seeking justice for the doctor in Kolkata, they demanded a safe working environment for doctors at GMC. Tourists from Delhi, who saw the poster, joined the silent march, instead of partying over the long weekend.
Dr Ashish Narvekar, MBBS and a general practitioner, who works at DHS Campal (Directorate of Health Services), NTEP (National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme), who was also a part of the march, said, “There is a need for proper lighting at important areas within GMC campus such as Blood Bank/Report Collection building and surrounding area, canteen, corridors between ward buildings and underpass between GMC to GARD Hostel. We need more functional CCTVs, and there needs to be some provision of safety escort for night duty hours which is from 5 pm to 8 am.”
It was incredible to witness over 100 people and the power of solidarity as people came out at midnight.Jigyasaa Malhotra, organiser
All said and done, the people at the silent march had one thing on their minds, in our 78th year of independence, we still have to fight for basic rights — respect, justice, safety. Today is Independence Day, but true freedom eludes us until every citizen feels secure in this country.