Bengali actress Rituparna Sengupta faced attempted ‘physical assault’ at Kolkata anti-rape rally: Eye witness

On August 4, late at night, numerous people joined an anti-rape protest in Kolkata. Several celebrities from the Bengali film industry took part, including Actress Rituparna Sengupta, who arrived close to midnight.

Within moments, the atmosphere reportedly heated up. Some protesters began chanting slogans like "Go back" and "Shame" directed at her. Protesters surrounded her car, and bottles were thrown at it while Rituparna somehow managed to leave the area, Bengali news publication Sangbad Pratidin reported.

Journalist Atanu Roy, who was with the actress during the alleged harassment, described what actually happened in the protest rally.

At first, Sengupta hesitated but eventually prepared to depart as the “go back” chants grew louder while things quickly escalated, Roy wrote on Facebook. The crowd became hostile and attempted to “physically assault” her. This sudden aggression caught everyone off guard.

Despite the chaos, a small group, including some journalists and actors, tried to shield Rituparna and help her escape safely, as per Roy. During the commotion, some were pushed and injured. One journalist was elbowed in the jaw several times and suffered a swollen face.

Others were hit with water bottles and sustained bruises. Rituparna's companions managed to get her into a car, but the crowd attacked the vehicle violently.

They banged on the windows, shouting and refusing to listen to her explanations. The situation grew increasingly tense, and the actress barely managed to leave without further harm, Roy added.

Bengal film community reacts

Filmmaker Srijit Mukherjee, the director of JioCinema’s Shekhar Home, shared Roy’s post on his Facebook wall. Actress Sudipta Chakraborty, one of the prominent faces in the “woman safety” movement, expressed disbelief at how the crowd behaved.

“Have you forgotten you joined the fight for women's right to reclaim the night? Have you forgotten that you marched to protect women's dignity and rights? How could you do this?” Chakraborty wrote on a social media post.