Key Points
- The rape and murder of a 31-year-old female doctor at a hospital in India has sparked protests across the country.
- Doctors have launched a nationwide strike, escalating protests with a 24-hour “nationwide withdrawal of services”.
- They’re demanding the implementation of a bill to protect healthcare workers from violence.
This article contains references to rape and the murder of a woman.
Indian doctors have launched a nationwide strike, escalating protests after the “barbaric” rape and murder of their colleague channelled outrage at the issue of violence against women.
The discovery of the 31-year-old doctor’s bloodied body on 9 August at a state-run hospital in the eastern city of Kolkata sparked furious protests in several cities across the country.
Many have been led by doctors and other healthcare workers, but also joined by tens of thousands of ordinary Indians demanding action.
In Kolkata, thousands held a candle-lit vigil into the early hours of Saturday morning.
“Hands that heal shouldn’t bleed,” one handwritten sign held by a protester in the eastern city read.
“Enough is enough,” another read, at a rally by doctors in the capital New Delhi.
Furious protests have been held in several cities across the country. Source: AAP / Hindustan Times/Sipa USA
The murdered doctor was found in the teaching hospital’s seminar hall, suggesting she had gone there for a rest during a 36-hour shift.
An autopsy confirmed sexual assault, and in a petition to the court, the victim’s parents said they suspected their daughter was gang-raped.
One man, who worked at the hospital helping people navigate busy queues, has been detained.
However, Kolkata’s police were accused by an angry public of mishandling the case and the city’s High Court transferred the investigation to India’s top Central Bureau of Investigation to “inspire public confidence”.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanded on Thursday swift punishment for those who commit “monstrous” deeds against women.
Those in government hospitals across several states on Monday halted elective services “indefinitely”, with multiple medical unions in both government and private systems backing the strikes.
Medical association escalates strike
On Saturday morning, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) escalated protests with a 24-hour “nationwide withdrawal of services”, and the suspension of all non-essential procedures.
“We ask for the understanding and support of the nation in this struggle for justice for its doctors and daughters,” IMA chief RV Asokan said, in a statement ahead of the strike.
The IMA called the killing “barbaric”.
“The 36-hour duty shift that the victim was in and the lack of safe spaces to rest … warrant a thorough overhaul of the working and living conditions of the resident doctors,” IMA said in a statement.
Doctors are demanding the implementation of the Central Protection Act, a bill to protect healthcare workers from violence.
“There is a lack of proper infrastructure,” said 29-year-old Akanksha Tyagi, a resident at the Lady Hardinge Medical College in New Delhi who took part in one of the multiple protests around the country.
“After working for 24-36 hours at a stretch, there’s no proper place for us to rest,” she said.
Members of the wider public have also marched in several cities this week, including at a candlelight midnight rally in Kolkata that coincided with the start of India’s independence day celebrations on Thursday.
Thousands held a candle-lit vigil into the early hours of Saturday morning in Kolkata. Source: AAP / Hindustan Times/Sipa USA
Sexual violence against women is a widespread problem in India. In 2022, an average of nearly 90 sexual assaults a day were reported in the country of 1.4 billion people.
For many, the gruesome nature of the hospital attack has invoked comparisons with the horrific 2012 gang rape and murder of a young woman on a Delhi bus.
That woman became a symbol of the socially conservative country’s failure to tackle sexual violence against women.
Her death sparked huge, and at times violent, demonstrations in Delhi and elsewhere.
If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732, text 0458 737 732, or visit . In an emergency, call 000.
