CPI(M) Calls for ‘Reclaim the Night’ Movement on R.G. Kar Incident Anniversary

Quick Summary

• Event: CPI(M)’s West Bengal unit is supporting ‘Reclaim the Night’ protests on August 14, 2025, marking one year since the rape and murder of an on-duty doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.
• Leader’s Statement: CPI(M) leader Minakshi Mukherjee criticized the government for alleged failure to ensure justice in crimes against women. She claims criminals are often shielded while peaceful protestors are targeted.
• Incident Recap (2024): Last year’s protest saw public outrage after a mob vandalized hospital property amidst allegations of police negligence during evidence tampering. Local miscreants identified by visual evidence were reportedly not pursued by law enforcement.
• Accusations: Mukherjee reiterated accusations that both culprits behind violence and the original crime remain untreated legally due to corrupt ties between perpetrators and authorities.
• Context: The protests aim to reclaim public spaces for women, addressing concerns over their safety, rights, and systemic cover-ups in serious cases of violence.
• CPI(M) Programmes: During a parallel party of kanyashree Day by Mamata Banerjee’s government promoting education among schoolgirls, CPI(M) unveiled its own women’s welfare initiatives. These include Women’s Councils focusing on education, legal aid, self-defense training, sports promotion, financial literacy workshops and also skill development.

Indian Opinion Analysis

The renewal of ‘Reclaim the Night’ protests underscores persistent concerns around women’s safety in West Bengal-a year after an incident that galvanized state-wide attention but remains encumbered wiht unresolved allegations of mishandling at multiple levels such as policing failure or political shielding. Such recurrent demonstrations highlight societal fear about insufficient safeguarding measures against gender-targeted crimes.

The CPI(M)’s direct criticism raises questions regarding law enforcement efficiency amidst accusations that response systems appear selective in pursuing suspects based on affiliations rather solely merit-inquiry-specific-role corroborate fairness administrative competency fabric challenges await South internal-cohesion-needed steering tools collaborative-parties obvious jointly society collective focused.nodes skilled