Kolkata rape case: Protestors disrupt West Bengal

On Wednesday, protesters disrupted trains, blocked buses and chanted slogans in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal. This demonstration was the most recent in a series of protesters that have started since the rape and murder of a trainee medic.

Thousands of protestors, primarily BJP workers blocked highways and train lines, causing businesses to force shut down. According to a senior police official, authorities had deployed 5,000 policemen across West Bengal to manage the situation and stop any further unrest.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi had called for a Bengal Bandh, a 12-hour state-wide protest on Wednesday in response to the police’s brutal actions taken against students during their protest march towards the West Bengal secretariat Nabanna.

Police forces had used tear gas and water cannons to scatter protesters who were making their way towards the state secretariat on Tuesday. Students leading the protest were demanding the resignation of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over her failure to address the August 9 rape and murder of a 31-year-old doctor in a state-run hospital in Kolkata.

The horrific incident has sparked nationwide fury, with protesters claiming that even strict legislation failed to protect women from sexual violence and harassment they have to endure.