A working woman (a trainee doctor) was assaulted, raped and murdered brutally at her workplace, RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, West Bengal. As parents and guardians, we are deeply aggrieved by this heinous incident and concerned about our children.

 

The Mother and Child Protection Care program was introduced in India through a collaborative effort of the Ministry of Women and Child Development and the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India. It was meant to be a tool for informing and educating the mother and family on different aspects of maternal and childcare and linking maternal and childcare into a continuum of care through the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme of Ministry of Women and Child Development and the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) of the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW).

While the Indian society has embraced such initiatives, it is also a harsh reality that women of India have been subjected to all sorts of atrocities for a prolonged period.

National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) recorded 25,000 rape cases in 2012 across India. Since then, the annual number has largely remained above 30,000, barring the COVID-19 pandemic year of 2020, which saw a sharp fall. Attacks on women peaked at nearly 39,000 in 2016. In 2018, on average one woman reported a rape every 15 minutes across the country, according to a government report. There were more than 31,000 reported rapes in 2022, the latest year for which data is available.

The increasing trend of attacks on women is alarming, unacceptable. The heinous incident of the rape and murder of Tilottama has amplified our angst, grief and helplessness. We feel worried about the future in which our children will have to dwell in, the adversaries that they will have to learn to cope with. Our children do not deserve this.

We, the citizens of India, do not deserve this. It is for the sake of our children, to ensure that our children develop into responsible citizens, that we imbibe proper values in them, we have decided to take to the streets on 24 August 2024 and raise our voice.

Our Demands

Fast-track investigation and justice to the departed victim and provide regular investigation updates to the citizens. 
Ensure workplace safety for all working women.
Ensure safe and secured future for our children.
We request all the guardians to sign this petition and help in ensuring a better world for our children.

As law-abiding citizens of our motherland who believe in non-violence, our protest will include:

• A peaceful demonstration at College Street, Kolkata
• Sloganeering
• Formation of a human chain as a symbolic pledge to protect our daughters, sisters, fellow citizens from such atrocities in future

Date: 24 August 2024

Venue: College Street, Kolkata (Opposite Calcutta University Main Gate)

Time: 4:00 PM

We urge all the guardians to unite on 24th August at College Street, Kolkata and demand justice for Tilottama.