Rakshabandhan will be a special occasion for protesting healthcare professionals in West Bengal and other parts of the country. This time, doctors on strike will tie black rakhis on Monday (August 19) as a mark of their agitation against the alleged rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata.
Amid the doctors’ call for observing a symbolic rakhi festival, President Droupadi Murmu said all Indians should take a pledge to ensure the safety and respect of women in society on the occasion of Rakshabandhan.
“On the auspicious occasion of Raksha Bandhan, I extend my heartfelt greetings and best wishes to all the countrymen. This festival, based on the feeling of love and mutual trust between brothers and sisters, instils a feeling of affection and respect towards all sisters and daughters. I would like that on this festival day, all the countrymen take a pledge to ensure the safety and respect of women in our society,” she said in a post on X, wishing citizens on the widely celebrated festival.
The Joint Platform of Doctors has given the call to celebrate a symbolic rakhi using the hashtag ‘AbhayaKaBhai’. Doctors of RG Kar hospital and other protesters will tie black rakhis on the occasion and they will also rally for Dr Kunal Sarkar and Dr Subarno Goswami, who have been summoned to the Kolkata Police headquarters at Lalbazar.
According to the Joint Platform of Doctors, instead of the regular festive rakhis, doctors will sport black ribbons. Doctors’ bodies across India will be observing the symbolic rakhi festival. On behalf of the organisation, Dr Aniket Mahat and Dr Kinjal Nand said in a press conference: “Tomorrow (August 19), senior doctors will gather in front of the medical college administrative block at 2 pm… from there, we will march to Lalbazar for Dr Subarno Goswami and Dr Kunal Sarkar. We will have lawyers with us.”
Officials said Dr Sarkar and Dr Goswami have been summoned for allegedly spreading rumours and disclosing the identity of the woman doctor.
Protesting doctors also thanked Mohun Bagan and East Bengal supporters for expressing their solidarity with agitation. The legendary ‘Kolkata derby’ between the two football archrivals was cancelled on Sunday (August), while in an unprecedented display of unity, hundreds of supporters from both the football clubs came together to protest outside the Salk Lake stadium, where the match was scheduled to be held. They were later joined by Mohammedan SC, another major football club.
India defender and Mohun Bagan captain Subhasish Bose, accompanied by his wife Kasturi Chetri, and All India Football Federation president Kalyan Chaubey joined the protest march, “demanding justice” for the RG Kar victim. “I’ve come here as a commoner. Justice is needed to ensure that this incident is never repeated. The culprits should receive proper punishment. We will continue our protests until justice is served,” he said while his wife was seen showing a placard with ‘We want justice. Justice for RG Kar’.
“For the first time, fans of Mohun Bagan, East Bengal, and Mohammedan Sporting have come together to fight for justice. I am grateful to everyone. This fight is not just for Bengal, but for the entire country. Together, we will fight so that no one dares to commit such a heinous act again. I’m a footballer, and the ground means everything to me. But if our mothers and sisters don’t feel safe in our state or country, there is nothing more important than addressing that,” he added.
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