Bengali actress Rituparna Sengupta, who was earlier trolled for her way of blowing the conch, was harassed at a protest rally demanding justice for the brutal rape-murder of a trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on Tuesday, September 3. Sengupta was pelted with ‘go back’ slogans as she arrived to take part in the protests that began from Kolkata’s Shyambazar area.

She was almost chased away by the people present there, who refused to acknowledge her presence. The situation soon turned into a massive protest, forcing Sengupta to flee. “The way they were pushing me, I could have died,” Sengupta said in an exclusive interview with India Today sister channel Aaj Tak Bangla.

He said, “They used abusive language. Young boys and girls started attacking my car. Nobody knows who they were. They have not been named. They probably join all protests in this manner. Such elements are misdirecting the protest and diverting people’s attention.”

The senior Tollywood actress looked visibly upset after being harassed at the gathering. Sharing her own experience, she said, “If this is the situation outside with so many people, one can only wonder how vulnerable and unsafe the girl (Abhaya) was that day.” Recalling her ordeal and expressing concern about the safety of women in the state, she said, “I don’t understand why there is this resistance against us. It is frightening.”

The wave of protests in Bengal is still not stopping. Rituparna is one of the well-known actresses of the Bengali film industry who took to the streets on Tuesday, September 3 to show solidarity with the protesters demanding justice for the victim. However, the famous actress was largely absent in the initial days of the protests and showed her solidarity online by blowing conch shells, which was not welcomed on the internet. She was badly trolled on the internet for her lack of genuine support.

Sengupta clarified, “I couldn’t be present for ‘Reclaim the Night’ on August 14, so I wanted to express solidarity. I am an artiste, we have different expressions, so blowing the conch was my way of standing with the masses. It was misunderstood.”

Bengali actress Rituparna Sengupta was surrounded by a section of protesters during the ‘Reclaim the Night’ protest at Shyambazar Square in Kolkata. As soon as it was announced that the actress has joined the protest, a scuffle broke out. A section started shouting ‘go back’ slogans. The actress was pushed and forced to leave. The protesters also started attacking her car.