Protesters seize iconic Indian bridge in anti-government march after doctor’s death

Doctor was found raped and murdered in a Kolkata hospital earlier this month

Protests brought an eastern Indian city to a standstill on Tuesday as police used teargas and water cannons to disperse thousands of people demanding the chief minister's resignation.

The protest march was the latest in a series of ongoing demonstrations in West Bengal following the rape and murder of a resident doctor at a state-run hospital in the state’s capital.

The doctor, 31, was found dead with visible marks of abuse in the seminar hall of the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata city on 9 August. An autopsy confirmed that she had been sexually assaulted.

Police arrested a civil volunteer associated with the city’s police, Sanjay Roy, before the case was handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation, a federal agency, amid calls for an unbiased probe.

Police fire teargas to disperse people protesting against the rape and murder of a doctor in Kolkata (AP)

In the course of Tuesday's demonstration, called by a student group, the protesters broke through barricades set up by police to stop their march to the state secretariat.

"We were protesting peacefully and, without provocation, police fired teargas canisters directly at us and used water cannons," Sayan Lahiri, one of the organisers, told The Independent.

Police had denied permission for the march and blocked the roads leading to chief minister Mamata Banerjee's office as her ruling Trinamool Congress party accused the opposition of stirring unrest.

The organisers claimed the protest was led by students despite supporters of prime minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party taking part in the rally.

The protesters said they were seeking justice for didi, referring to the victim as elder sister, and action against corruption and political killings in the state.

Police fire teargas at protesters in Kolkata (AP)

One of India's iconic tourist attractions – the Howrah Bridge – turned into a battleground as police in riot gear pushed back the protesters, using batons and teargas.

“There were no party flags. Some were carrying the national flag, which the police snatched and threw on the streets,” Mr Lahiri, 30, said.

“This movement will continue and grow till she steps down,” he added, referring to the chief minister. “People in the state are in distress. This cannot continue.”

More than 6,000 police personnel were deployed in Kolkata and its neighbouring city, Howrah, turning the areas around the secretariat into a fortress.

Four student activists were arrested ahead of the rally, police said, accusing them of trying to orchestrate widespread violence.

"Police used unnecessary brute force against us today. The people of West Bengal will not take this lightly," said a 35-year-old proteste, who didn't want to be named.

Police officers suffered injuries as well.

In the days since the doctor's killing, public anger has boiled over into nationwide outrage and stirred protests.

Junior doctors have refused to see non-emergency patients in many parts of the country and launched protests demanding justice for the victim and greater safety for women at hospitals.

The Supreme Court of India has created a hospital safety task force and requested protesting doctors return to work, but some have refused to budge.

The West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Front claimed that Tuesday’s protest did not involve “protesting doctors in any way”.

Mr Modi’s party has extended support to the protesting students, while senior state member Suvendu Adhikari claiming that Ms Banerjee's administration was trying to suppress the rape and murder incident — a charge the state government has denied.

The party has called a 12-hour statewide strike on Wednesday to protest police action against Tuesday’s demonstration.