Celebrities once allied with Mamata join protests against Kolkata doctor’s rape and murder

Celebrities join protests against rape and murder at Kolkata hospital, demand justice and end to violence in Bengal.

Many celebrities close to the Trinamool Congress have joined the ongoing protests and taken a strong stance against the rape and murder of a woman doctor on duty at Kolkata’s R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital (RGKMCH) on August 9.

Former president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Sourav Ganguly, who stirred a controversy for terming the rape and murder at the RGKMCH a “stray incident”, took part in a candlelight protest with his daughter Sana on Wednesday. 

“There is safety for women everywhere in India, including in West Bengal. India is a fantastic country, so is West Bengal, it’s a great State, a great city we live in. We should not judge based on just one incident,” Mr. Ganguly had said earlier. Many social media users also demanded the removal of Mr. Ganguly as the brand ambassador of tourism for Tripura following his controversial statements.

He later clarified his statement and said what happened was “terrible and shameful” and that strict punishment should be given to the culprits.

Meanwhile, his daughter Ms. Sana, while addressing the media, strongly asserted that such incidents need to stop. “Every day we come across a rape incident and I feel so bad about it… Even in 2024 such incidents are taking place, despite talking so much about equality,” she said, adding that the protests should continue and that the victim should get justice.

Filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri, who participated in protest rallies and held press conferences in Kolkata recently, said the communal, political, and electoral violence in Bengal needed to stop. “In this case, rape has been used as a political weapon. This current government and system need to end,” he told the media.

The ongoing protests have also seen an outpouring of support from famous personalities of art, theatre and music, as well as celebrities of the Bengali film industry, who would often be visible with the Chief Minister in events like the Kolkata International Film Festival. They also carried out multiple protest rallies to demand justice for the victim. On Sunday, multiple film personalities took out a protest rally of their own and marched peacefully from Khanna to Shyambazar with banners.