The Kolkata Police has booked five organisers of the “Reclaim the Night” protests against the rape and murder of a junior doctor, reported The Indian Express on Sunday.

The organisers said that the police actions were an attempt to intimidate them.

The 31-year-old trainee doctor was raped and murdered at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on August 9.

Following this, women came out in large numbers to protest against the crime on the night of August 14. In Kolkata, women chose more than 50 spots to congregate. Similar protests were also held in other villages and towns in West Bengal, as well as Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Chennai.

Advertisement

Similar protests were held in Kolkata on September 4 and September 9.

In its notice to the organisers, the police have claimed that permissions must be obtained before organising such protests and rallies. They have booked the organisers under the Indian Penal Code and the National Highway Act.

They have been asked to appear before investigators within seven days.

On their part, the organisers said that they had informed the police about the protest rallies and carried out them peacefully.

Meanwhile, the junior doctors in West Bengal protesting against the rape and murder of their colleague partially withdrew their strike on Saturday to resume duties in essential and emergency services at government-run hospitals.

Advertisement

Their work in out-patient departments, however, remained suspended.

For more than a month, the West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Front has been leading protests demanding the resignation of several senior officials and an end to the “threat culture” in West Bengal’s medical centres.

After several rounds of talks with the state government, the doctors announced on Thursday that they would resume essential and emergency services.

Also read: Have the Kolkata rape-murder protests dented Mamata’s women support base?