On Tuesday, the West Bengal Congress approached the Calcutta High Court requesting authorization to hold a protest rally from College Square to Shyambazar in North Kolkata on 29 August.
The rally aims to denounce the recent rape and murder of a doctor from RG Kar Medical College & Hospital.
Senior Congress leader and former Lok Sabha member Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, along with his party colleague Asutosh Chattopadhyay filed the petition.
The single-judge Bench, led by Justice Rajarshi Bhardwaj, has accepted the petition and scheduled a hearing for Wednesday.
Chowdhury asserted that the rally was necessary as the Kolkata Police had previously denied permission for the demonstration.
The rally’s proposed route, ending at Shyambazar five-point crossing, is near RG Kar Medical College & Hospital, where the authorities found the deceased doctor’s body on 9 August.
Despite Chowdhury’s vocal criticism of the case, the Congress state unit had not mobilized for street protests until now.
On Monday, Chowdhury confirmed the rally plans to the media, signaling a shift in the Congress’s approach to addressing the case.
Earlier, Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, had publicly criticized the West Bengal government’s handling of the case.
On 14 August, Rahul Gandhi condemned the state’s administration and the hospital authorities, alleging attempts to shield the accused and questioning the effectiveness of laws intended to prevent such crimes.
Taking to X, Rahul Gandhi posted, “The attempt to save the accused instead of providing justice to the victim raises serious questions on the hospital and the local administration. This incident has forced us to think that if doctors are not safe in a place like medical college, then how can parents send their daughters outside for studies? Why are even the strict laws made after the Nirbhaya case unsuccessful in preventing such crimes?”
Two days earlier, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had also called for immediate and stringent action by the West Bengal government regarding the alleged rape and murder.
As the Congress gears up for the protest rally, all eyes are on the Calcutta High Court’s decision and the subsequent response from the state authorities.
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