Who Is Rimjhim Sinha? The Woman Leading Kolkata's 'Reclaim The Night' Campaign

Thousands of women flooded the streets across West Bengal on Wednesday night, protesting the brutal rape and murder of a junior doctor at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9.

The 'Reclaim the Night' campaign, which rapidly gained traction on social media, kicked off around 11:55 PM, coinciding with Independence Day celebrations. The movement quickly spread to key areas in both small towns and large cities, including prominent landmarks in Kolkata.

However, the protests were marred by violence at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, where an unidentified mob stormed the emergency ward, vandalizing it. The body of the doctor was inside a seminar hall at the hospital.

Unrest also broke out in Mandirtala, Howrah district, as protestors clashed with members of the ruling Trinamool Congress during their 'Freedom at Midnight' celebrations, according to PTI.

Rimjhim Sinha, the initiator of the 'Reclaim the Night' campaign, described the event as a new freedom struggle for women, symbolized by a viral poster of a red hand holding a crescent moon.

Who is Rimjhim Sinha?

Rimjhim Sinha is a social science researcher and a graduate of Presidency University in Kolkata, as reported by The Telegraph. Graduating with a sociology degree in 2020, Sinha was deeply shaken by the news of the junior doctor's rape and murder at her workplace.

In response, Sinha shared her decision to spend the night before Independence Day outdoors in a Facebook post, which resonated widely.

She expressed particular outrage at a comment made by the medical college's former principal, Sandip Ghosh, who allegedly questioned why the junior doctor had gone to the seminar hall alone. "Such a comment, shifting the blame onto the victim, is unacceptable. In protest, I decided to spend the night of August 14 outdoors. No one can claim ownership of the night or dictate who can be outside and why," Sinha told The Telegraph.

Despite her initial intentions, Sinha admitted she was taken aback by the overwhelming response to her call, which went viral and brought thousands of people to the streets. "I am deeply moved by the response. I see women coming out of their homes, and even if they can't stay out all night, they are making the decision to spend two or three hours outside," she was quoted as saying by News18.