Taun Karthick
Port Blair, 17 August 2024
In a poignant display of unity and sorrow, the streets of Port Blair were illuminated by the soft glow of thousands of candles on the evening of August 16, 2024. The island’s medical fraternity, joined by citizens from every walk of life, marched in silence, their hearts heavy with grief and anger over the horrific rape and murder of a young doctor on duty at R.G. Kar Medical College in Kolkata.
The candle march, which began at the historic Cellular Jail, a site symbolising the struggles of India’s freedom fighters, ended at Flag Point, the memorial of the first tricolour hoisting on Indian soil in 1943. This symbolic route underscored the solemnity of the occasion, as the participants—doctors, nurses, students, other medical staff and ordinary islanders—walked with a shared purpose: to demand justice.
The young doctor, a postgraduate resident, had been working a gruelling 36-hour shift when she was brutally raped, tortured, and murdered. Her tragic death has sent shockwaves across the nation, but nowhere is the pain more acutely felt than within the medical community, where the inherent risks of the profession have now been compounded by an unbearable sense of vulnerability.
As the march culminated at Flag Point, the air was thick with emotion. Dr. Pragya Sharma, Director of the Andaman and Nicobar Institute of Medical Sciences (ANIIMS), addressed the gathering, her voice echoing a mix of sorrow and resolve. She condemned the incident and assured to ensure the safety of doctors, medical staff and students at ANIIMS.
Echoing her sentiments, Dr. Suja Antony, Director of Health Services for the Andaman and Nicobar Administration, condemned the heinous crime. She assured to ensure the safety of the medical fraternity working across health establishments in A & N Islands.
The emotional resonance of the march was amplified by the widespread support it received from the broader community. Islanders of all ages, professions, and backgrounds joined the march, their candles flickering in the night as a symbol of hope and solidarity. Social media platforms have since been flooded with images and videos of the march, as well as messages of support for the medical fraternity.
The march in Port Blair was not just a protest; it was a collective cry for justice, a heartfelt plea for a world where those who dedicate their lives to saving others are not themselves endangered. As the candles flickered out at Flag Point, the resolve of the islanders remained steadfast: they will not rest until justice is served for the daughter of the nation who lost her life in the most tragic of circumstances.
In these dark times, the light of solidarity among the people of Andaman and Nicobar Islands shines brightly, a beacon of hope in the face of unimaginable sorrow.