Doctors in India stage nationwide strike over colleague’s rape, murder

Doctors have staged a strike amid ongoing nationwide rallies over the brutal rape and murder of a female medical worker during night shift at a state-run college hospital in Kolkata.

The brutality surrounding the heinous incident regarding the female postgraduate trainee, who was reportedly gang-raped and murdered at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, has triggered fresh grievances about harassment and violence against women in society.

The protesters are demanding a thorough investigation into last week’s criminal incident while also pushing for tougher measures to secure the safety of females, in general, and medical staff in hospitals, in particular.

Protesters say the outrage among women in India about the incident has been compounded by the insensitive response of Indian authorities, suggesting little has changed since the 2012 gang-rape of a student in a moving bus in Delhi that shook the country, leading to mass protests and violence.

“This is both about the Kolkata doctor who was brutalized and every woman who has faced sexual violence or harassment in the country,” one of the protesters attending a rally said.

Meanwhile, the doctors’ strike which started on Monday and affected government hospitals and elective medical services has intensified. 

Johnrose Jayalal, the president of the Indian Medical Association, said public outrage was so high that the association felt compelled to intensify the strike.

“Fifty percent of doctors are women, 90 percent of nursing staff are women. We want the government to take responsibility for ensuring their safety by declaring hospitals as protection zones [with security measures], just like airports and the courts,” Jayalal said.

Indian protesters demand justice over rape, murder of doctor

Protests continue across India over the brutal rape and murder of a trainee doctor while on shift at a Kolkata hospital amid growing demands for women

Jayalal insisted doctors were deeply concerned over the safety of female doctors and the rising levels of violence generally against all doctors by patients’ families.

According to the Indian Medical Association, all hospital services except for emergency care will be shut down on Saturday.

All outpatient services and treatment in government and private hospitals will be canceled.

Authorities said the escalation of the doctors’ strike will cause massive disruption for 24 hours.

Meanwhile, new details from the autopsy report of the victim contradict the initial claims by the Kolkata police that a single perpetrator was involved in her rape and murder.

Local media said the autopsy report revealed evidence suggesting that the victim was gang-raped.

Moumita Debnath’s body was found semi-nude in a seminar hall, with her eyes, mouth and genitals bleeding, reports said.

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