Rage, grief, hope and a steely resolve echoed through a rally on Friday night marking a year since the rape and murder of a junior doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9, 2024.

Metro spoke to several women who gathered at College Street before the rally moved towards Shyambazar. Many said they were part of the “Reclaim the Night” protests last year. The crowd included people from outside the medical fraternity.

Second stain

A private tutor said the horror of RG Kar returned all too soon. “Look what happened at Kasba. A woman was raped at her college — which, like a workplace, should be a safe space. Women are still unsafe. The impunity shown by the offenders is what scares me,” said Debasmita Basu, 39, of Maniktala.

She was referring to the gang-rape of a student at South Calcutta Law College on June 25.

Debasmita had come with her eight-year-old daughter. “I’m the mother of a daughter. I can feel the pain of the RG Kar doctor’s mother,” she said.

For our kids

Tanusree Roy, 49, a homemaker from Baidyabati in Hooghly, said her son is an intern at National Medical College and Hospital.

“The students have led the protest, raising their voice not only against a heinous crime but also against institutional failures and corruption that enabled it. Their resolve drives me,” said Tanusree. She praised the students’ sustained campaign, which she said had moved the nation. “But I’m still worried. Not just for my son — for every student like him.”

Freedom cry

Shraddha Mukherjee, 37, a teacher from Ultadanga, travels daily to Serampore for work. She came to the protest with a friend.

“The male gaze is sickening — on trains, in markets, in malls. There’s no relief,” Shraddha said.

Her husband had called several times during the rally. “He’s worried because I’ll have to return home alone. In 2025, in a metro city, it’s still not safe for women to travel late. That’s the problem.”

She said she came to show solidarity. “A year has passed, but we can’t let our guard down.”

“An exemplary punishment may act as a deterrent, but true safety will come only with a shift in societal mindset,” she added.

Little progress

Mousumi Roy, 25, a house staff in the critical care unit of Medical College Kolkata, spoke of one visible change on her campus.

“A senior doctor is now on night duty with us. Earlier, juniors were alone at night,” she said.

But beyond that, little has changed, she alleged. “There’s still no panic button on campus.”

In response, junior doctors have improved internal communication. “Several of us are active on WhatsApp and other platforms at night, ready to respond to SOS messages.”

Why was she at the rally?

“Because I firmly believe one person couldn’t have committed the RG Kar crime. Justice has eluded the doctor’s parents and our society. That’s why I’m here — to demand justice. We won’t give up.”