Kolkata rape and murder case live: Doctors call for nationwide strike as protests swell
West Bengal chief minister leads protest in Kolkata demanding death penalty for those accused in rape and murder of 31-year-old doctor at capital Kolkata’s RG Kar medical college
Your support helps us to tell the story
My recent work focusing on Latino voters in Arizona has shown me how crucial independent journalism is in giving voice to underrepresented communities.
Your support is what allows us to tell these stories, bringing attention to the issues that are often overlooked. Without your contributions, these voices might not be heard.
Every dollar you give helps us continue to shine a light on these critical issues in the run up to the election and beyond
Eric Garcia
Washington Bureau Chief
Doctors in India are staging protests against the rape and murder of a junior doctor, who was killed while on duty at a prominent state-run hospital in her West Bengal state.
The 31-year-old postgraduate trainee was found dead in a seminar hall of the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in state capital Kolkata on 9 August. An autopsy confirmed sexual assault.
A suspect has been arrested, a civil volunteer named Sanjay Roy, who is associated with the Kolkata police. The federal Central Bureau of Investigation has overtaken the case amid calls for an unbiased and transparent inquiry.
Services in government hospitals were affected and thousands of patients suffered after doctors launched a strike against workplace violence.
The Indian Medical Association, the country’s largest organisation of medics, said that it would implement a nationwide shutdown of most departments for 24 hours from Saturday morning, the largest such strike in at least a decade.
Hundreds and thousands of women across the country poured on to the streets at midnight demanding justice for the junior doctor as they participated in “reclaim the night” marches.
In pics: Doctors in India protest collegaue’s rape and murder
India’s Hindi film industry joins public outcry
Bollywood stars have joined the public outrage over the rape and murder of a junior doctor in Kolkata during her 36-hour shift at a state-run hospital.
Hindi film stars such as Kareena Kapoor Khan, Preity Zinta, Richa Chadha, Alia Bhatt, Swara Bhasker and Tisca Chopra have called for swift justice for the victim.
“Another brutal rape. Another day of realisation that women are not safe, anywhere,” Ms Bhatt wrote on Instagram.
Ms Bhasker said the crime was a “painful reminder that India is no country for women”, adding that “the accused must be put on trial and justice must be served speedily”.
Patients suffer as doctors stage protest against murder of colleague
The doctors’ strike has left thousands of low-income patients in distress across state-run hospitals.
Shyamal Guha, 78, was one such patient at the RG Kar hospital, who was made to return after spending more than two hours in the ambulance at the hospital earlier this week.
“My father had a heart attack yesterday, now due to more complications the hospital asked us to move him here. They are now refusing to take him to the emergency room. If this continues, he will die,” Mr Guha’s son, Pradip, said.
While a series of ambulances made their way into the hospital premises, the patients inside the vehicle were forced to wait for hours and eventually return to find another hospital. “It is 4.30pm and RG Kar is the third hospital to have refused me treatment,” said a woman in anguish.
West Bengal chief minister calls for death penalty
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has called authorities to hand a death penalty to those involved in the rape and murder of a 31-year-old junior doctor inside the hospital in Kolkata city last week.
Ms Banerjee, the only woman chief minister in India, will lead a political rally today in Kolkata demanding swift justice for the victim.
One suspect has been arrested in the case, a civil volunteer named Sanjay Roy, who is associated with the Kolkata Police.
The case has since been taken over by the federal Central Bureau of Investigation amid calls for an unbiased and transparent inquiry into the crime.
“Give death penalty to those who are actually responsible for the crime but innocents should not be punsihed,” Ms Banrejee said in her appeal to the protesting doctors at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.
The resident doctors association of the RG Kar Medical College ceased work on the emergency services last week.
Indian doctors call for fresh nationwide shutdown
The Indian Medical Association, the country’s largest grouping of medics, said it would implement a nationwide shutdown of most departments, except essential services, for 24 hours from Saturday morning, the largest such strike in at least a decade.
“Doctors, especially women are vulnerable to violence because of the nature of the profession. It is for the authorities to provide for the safety of doctors inside hospitals and campuses,” the IMA said in a statement issued on X late.
Massive protests have erupted in India following the rape and murder of a junior doctor during her 36-hour shift at a state-run hospital in the eastern city of Kolkata.
‘Dozens of men barged in and started assaulting whoever they could see,’ says doctor
The Kolkata police have arrested 19 men for breaking through the barricades at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital and went on a rampage inside the emergency ward.
The peaceful protests led by women on Wednesday were marred later in the night by a mob of men who broke through the police barricade, vandalising the protest venue and ransacking the emergency ward.
“We were preparing to take out a rally, when out of nowhere dozens of men barged in and started assaulting whoever they could see,” a resident doctor, who did not wish to be named, told The Independent.
“We ran inside the hospital to save ourselves. They were out for blood.”
Kolkata Police fired teargas to disperse the protesters and detained several men from the crowd, though they are yet to comment on the motive behind the attack.
“The mob was tearing wires to snap the electricity with their bare hands. They had rods and swords and came charging towards the police,” an officer with Kolkata Police told The Print.
“There were patients undergoing treatment and the force saved them on priority.”
A video shared on social media showed the mob breaking down a police barrier at the entrance of the government hospital. A person could be heard repeatedly begging them: “Don’t do this.”
Massive protests in India as women march to ‘reclaim streets’ after
Tens of thousands of women took to the streets across India on Wednesday night in protest over the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at a prominent state-run hospital in West Bengal.
The largest of the protests took place in Kolkata itself, where women armed with placards, candles and the Indian national flag ushered in the country’s 78th Independence Day at midnight by demanding justice for the killing of the 31-year-old female resident at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.
Women at the “Reclaim the Night” protest told The Independent that they wanted swift justice for the victim – some are calling for the perpetrator or perpetrators to be given the death penalty – but also a wider reckoning on violence against women and the safety of doctors in the country.
Our ground report:
Massive protests in India as women ‘reclaim streets’ after doctor’s murder
Police fired teargas at a large crowd of men who attacked the Kolkata hospital where a trainee doctor, 31, was raped and killed
Watch: Doctors protest in India
Prime minister Narendra Modi condemns atrocities against women
Prime minister Narendra Modi condemned atrocities against women in his Independence Day address yesterday, calling for stricter punishments for the perpetrators.
“As a society, we have to think about the atrocities being committed against our mothers, daughters and sisters. There is outrage against this in the country. I can feel this outrage,” he said.
Police in India recorded 31,516 reports of rape in 2022, a 20 per cent increase from 2021, according to the National Crime Records Bureau.
In pics: Women stage protest at midnight to reclaim public space
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments