A female doctor was raped and murdered on 9 August in Calcutta, West Bengal, India. Women took to the streets in many parts of the country. Women held hands and chanted ‘we want justice’ in different demonstrations near universities, theatre halls and bus terminals. “Never before have we seen such a large gathering of women marching at night in the city,” said journalists working in the area.

Since the murder, women have been organising ‘take back the night’ protests across the country. On the 8th day of the protests, thousands of women shouted for ‘justice’ on the streets and carried the banner ‘Jin, Jiyan, Azadî’ [Woman, Life, Freedom].

Protests were also organised in other cities like Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Pune. At times, protesters and police confronted each other and the police fired tear gas to disperse the protesters.

In connection with the rape, police detained a volunteer working at the hospital. However, following accusations of cover-up and negligence, the case was transferred from the local police to the Central Bureau of Investigation.