Echoing the demand for justice for R G Kar Hospital rape and murder victim, a sex worker of Sonagachi refused to give soil for idol making this year.

The refusal is said to have come from the secretary of the Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Committee, Bisakha Laskar. According to the secretary of the sex workers’ organization, this year soil would not be provided for idol making from the sex workers’ courtyard as a mark of protest against the brutal rape and murder of the trainee doctor at R G Kar Hospital.

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Notably, for Durga Puja, the biggest festival in West Bengal, the idol makers take soil from the sex workers locality and mix it with the clay used for making the idols of the goddess. The sex workers of Sonagachi, under Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Committee had stopped lending the soil to the idol makers. The refusal came in demand of respect for the women of the sex workers’ community at Sonagachi.

According to Bharati Dey, the mentor of Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Committee, the sex workers of the biggest red light area of the country had been fighting for the respect of women for a long time. “Our demand of respect and safety of women is still on but refusing to give soil for idol making is not related to the alleged R G Kar Hospital rape and murder case, said the mentor. “We also have expressed solidarity with the protesting citizens and came out in large numbers on the night of 14 August to support the demand for justice. However, refusing to give soil for idol making is not related to the R G Kar issue but a fight to be respected throughout the year rather than only while seeking the soil for the puja,” she added.