KOLKATA, Oct 11 : ‘Maha Ashtami’, the eighth day of the Durga Puja festival, was overshadowed by protests demanding justice for the doctor who was raped and murdered at RG Kar hospital two months ago.
Although the day began with people offering ‘pushpanjali’ at various pandals across the state, the overall mood was subdued due to the ongoing demonstrations by junior doctors.
As ‘Nabami’ set in later in the day, people slowly began hitting the streets, visiting beautifully decorated pandals adorned with intricate interiors, a hallmark of the state’s biggest festival.Crowds flocked to popular pandals in the city, such as College Square, Ekdalia Evergreen, Chaltabagan, Naktala Udayan Sangha, Santosh Mitra Square, Kashi Bose Lane, and Bagbazar with similar scenes observed in various districts.
At Santosh Mitra Square, the Puja committee displayed a burning lamp demanding justice for the murdered medic.
The Naktala Nabapally Sarbojonin Durga Puja committee featured several banners around the pandal in support of the agitating junior doctors.
“In our 60th year, we had planned several features, including a canopy of tiny lamps along the nearby lanes and a grand immersion procession, but all of that has been set aside this year,” said Prabir Sen, a senior member of the puja committee.
In Siliguri’s Hakimpara Durga Puja, organised by women, a memorial wrapped in white clothes has been set up near the pandal with a sketch of an imaginary woman with her hands covering her face as a tribute to the R G Kar woman medic victim.
The “We demand justice” slogan has been inscribed at the bottom of the sketch.Besides, the parents of the deceased medic, who has been named Abhaya’/Tilottoma’ by protesting civil society members, launched a sit-in near their residence in North 24 Parganas district demanding a speedy and fair investigation into the ghastly incident.
They have been sitting there since Sasthi and will be there till ‘Bijoya Dashami’ in memory of their daughter who had organised a Durga Puja at their modest house for the last two years, the deceased medic’s mother had told reporters earlier.
Many local puja committees chose not to hold community feasts this year, departing from the traditions.
Many committees also decided not to play music to express solidarity with the agitating junior medics.
This year was particularly notable, as Maha Ashtami and Nabami coincided, with the ‘Ashtami tithi’ ending and ‘Nabami tithi’ beginning within hours.
In the morning, lakhs of devotees gathered at Belur Math, the headquarters of the Ramakrishna Mission, where Kumari puja (worship of a girl as Maa Durga ) was conducted as per traditions.
Kumari puja was also organised in many household pujas and community puja pandals in the state including Tridhara, Burdwan Durgotsav, Vivekananda Seva Kendra, Baranagar, at different RKM units across the state marking a tribute to women’s power.
People also visited household heritage pujas, such as Sovabazar Rajbari, Laha Bari, and Rani Rasmoni Bari, where the traditional sabeki idol of the deity was worshipped in a solemn atmosphere.
In the afternoon, agitating junior doctors took out a ‘maha samabesh’ (mega congregation) in the Esplanade area, demanding justice for their murdered colleague at R G Kar Medical College.
Meanwhile, the fast unto death by the junior doctors entered the sixth day, with the condition of one of them remaining “critical” as hundreds gathered at the Esplanade area of the city, where the medics had been agitating.
“This puja, instead of visiting pandals I have decided to visit these children who are waging a battle to reform the corrupt system. This is my abode of real God,” Satabdi Das, a woman from Jadavpur, told PTI.
The protesting doctors have been demanding justice for the deceased woman medic at the R G Kar Medical College and Hospital, and the immediate removal of Health Secretary N S Nigam.
Their other demands include the establishment of a centralised referral system for all hospitals and medical colleges in the state, the implementation of a bed vacancy monitoring system, and the formation of task forces to ensure essential provisions for CCTV, on-call rooms, and washrooms at their workplaces.
They are also demanding increased police protection in hospitals, recruitment of permanent women police personnel, and swift filling of vacant positions for doctors, nurses, and other healthcare workers. (PTI)
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