Kolkata Rape And Murder: Know The Girl Behind ‘Reclaim The Night’ Protests

Kolkata: In a first-of-its-kind protest, thousands of women on Wednesday night took to streets across West Bengal to ‘reclaim the night’ and demand justice for the junior doctor, who was raped and murdered at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9. The campaign, which gained momentum through social media, had begun around 11.55pm and was compared to the ‘Quit India Movement’ due to its massive turnout. But, how this protest start? Who shaped up the ‘Reclaim the Night’ campaign, sans any political colour?

Well, it was Rimjhim Sinha, a social science researcher who graduated from the Presidency University in Kolkata, reported The Telegraph. She had described the event as a new freedom struggle for women. It was symbolised by a viral poster of a red hand holding a crescent moon.

Who is Rimjhim Sinha?

Rimjhim Sinha had graduated with a sociology degree in 2020. Like thousands of women and protestors, she was shocked by the gruesome incident. Condemning such an incident, Rimjhim Sinha had shared on her social media account that she would spend the Independence Day eve outside.

According to reports, she was particularly agitated and disturbed by an alleged remark by the medical college’s former principal, Sandip Ghosh, who had questioned why the deceased doctor had gone to the seminar hall alone.

“Such a comment, shifting the blame on the victim, cannot be accepted. In protest, I decided to spend the night of August 14 outdoors. No one can lay a claim on the night and dictate to us who can be outside and why,” she told The Telegraph. But, she had no clue that her call would go viral and thousands would join her across the country in solidarity.