Kolkata: It has been two years since the protests over the rape and murder of the 31-year-old junior doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on Aug 9 rocked the city.However, the answer to whether doctors and women feel safer now remains a resounding ‘no’.A motley of demands was raised by doctors and civil society groups behind “Reclaim the Night,” including the installation of CCTVs, increased trained security personnel in govt hospitals, designated restrooms for male and female staff, hygienic public toilets, implementation of POSH at workplaces, and mandatory age-appropriate sex education and gender law awareness in schools. However, the main expectation was to feel safe and secure. A former RG Kar house staff member said while CCTVs were installed on campus, “doctors continued to receive rape threats”.“While having CISF personnel on our campus provided some sense of safety, other medical colleges and hospitals don’t even have that. Moreover, how do you screen people entering emergency and trauma care centres? Even the security personnel are under-trained and understaffed,” she told TOI. Rimjhim Sinha, who gave the first call for ‘Reclaim the Night’, said women were still not safe.There have been virtually no structural reforms, addressing the demands raised by lakhs of women, she added. “At least 10 structural reforms were suggested, including basic measures like hygienic public toilets for women, reconstruction of Internal Complaints Committees, age-appropriate gender law and sex education in schools, and 24/7 public transport availability. These were last mentioned in the state govt’s July 31, 2025 announcement, but none have been executed. Over the past few months, cases of rape and murder—especially involving minors—have tripled. The situation has become even more alarming,” Sinha said.The pursuit of justice remains a long road for many who marched on Sunday, seeking answers. “The CBI has not filed a supplementary chargesheet and is even facing criticism from judges in court. Though investigative teams keep changing, we fail to see any tangible progress,” said Debashish Haldar, a doctor. Saptaparna Chakraborty, a research scholar at the University of Calcutta, asked: “How safe are we in a country where cases like Nirbhaya, Abhaya, Baruipur, and Jaynagar keep mounting?” She demanded that roads, educational institutions, sports complexes, and all public institutions must have CCTVs. Junior doctor Asfakulla Naiya said the victim’s mother, who is now the BJP MLA from Panihati, would be “disheartened” if she believed that “power could bring justice”. “We have to fight for justice from the streets, not from positions of power. The movement is what creates the environment for justice. Her mother may place her faith in power, but we will not stop until she gets justice,” he said.The Bengal Obstetric and Gynaecological Society also observed “Abhaya Day” on Sunday. Advocate Mrinalini Majumder said while legislation protecting healthcare workers exists, its implementation has collapsed across the board. “We are still not dealing with violence against doctors with seriousness,” she said, calling it “a watershed moment” undercut by failures that were “systemic and structural.”A doctors’ forum, ‘Voice of Abhaya, Voice of Women,’ staged a protest at RG Kar and held a torch rally at Shyambazar. Secretary Biplab Chandra urged street protesters to pressure the CBI and hold negligent investigators accountable, and question the continuing tenure of the health secretary.
