Rituparna Sengupta Heckled By Protestors

On September  4 when  Bengali actress Rituparna Sengupta  tried  to join a  rally  in Kolkata in support  of the raped  and murdered doctor Tilottama she was  jostled, heckled  and  pushed out of the rally.

 She recalls  the nightmare. “I went there. I sat. I lit the candle. There was a lot of commotion. People were there. Some people were singing. Some people were painting. Some people were talking. They wanted to hand over the mic to me to speak. But such a crowd and so  much commotion. We couldn’t hear anything. Press was talking to me. I just told them that I want justice. And I am an apolitical person. I want justice for Tilottama. But  looking at the larger picture, and setting aside what I’ve  gone through, I  feel a sense  of satisfaction.The full and justice that  we in Kolkata desire to come for her, is not far away. And I have got full faith that justice will be served to Tilottama. Because the whole movement, the uprising of all over the country, all over the world will never go to waste.Because that’s what people have made the priority in their lives that justice should be served. People are on the road. They are angry, agitated, infuriated.”

Rituparna  is baffled as to why she  was subjected to  this humiliation. “My grievance is  a very small matter when  seen in the light of the  larger picture.I could understand the protestors’  anger  because I am also angry and infuriated about this whole thing. Because what has happened to her is absolutely unacceptable. And this cannot be accepted.We have to voice against it. And I am part of that voice.What happened has me completely dumbfounded.I am  still in a state of shock.I don’t know who these people were. Suddenly they besieged  me from nowhere. And a huge mass, a huge group of people, this suddenly started. I was sitting with them. I was trying to stand with them. Nothing could be done.They were all over the press. They were pushing the press people. They were pushing the other people.They hurt few journalists. I got hurt. I could have died yesterday actually.  I don’t know who these people are. I don’t know whether they even know what they are doing.I don’t know whether they are even part of this movement or not. I suspect they are just kind of trying to make mileage from  this whole movement. I don’t know where this  sudden exodus of  people from. They don’t have any kind of understanding what’s happening because the focus is the movement, the protest, and not embarrassing and harassing a person like me who has always been in this movement from day one. I am an apolitical person.

  Significantly Rituparna favourite co-star Prosenjit Chatterjee has chosen to stay mum on  the ghastly crime  for his proximity to  Mamata Didi.

  Rituparna  refrains from comment on  this. “I am not going to talk about any political thing because I am not a political person.I don’t understand politics. But as a human being, as a woman, as a person, as a mother, as a daughter, as a wife, I will definitely come and speak about our rights. The kind of heinous crime which has been done to a woman in this city is absolutely not accepted.A working  woman, just like me,who has been in this institution where she has studied, in this institution where she is a doctor, she has been abused, she has been murdered, raped. This is absolutely not accepted. That is my cry for her and I will definitely seek justice.But at the same time, how can these people be harassing a woman  when  she is voicing her protest. I don’t know, suddenly this infuriated mob came all over me, came over the press, and when I was trying to make a way that I should leave now, that time they became even more furious that I was sort of leaving. And I don’t know what they did. They broke my car. I got hurt. Few journalists got hurt.  And they were banging my car. I don’t even know what they  wanted. I even opened my car door  and I was trying to reason with them  that ‘Look,  I have come here to talk to you people, to be with you people.’ But what is this? What is this movement for? What is this protest for? If the protesters  behave  like this, they want to just make a noise.”