she went to the seminar hall to go to sleep, where she was attacked.
Indian doctors are protesting over the rape and murder of a trainee medic in Kolkata, resulting in hospital services being disrupted in several cities.
Thousands of doctors marched in Kolkata and other cities in West Bengal to condemn the killing, demanding justice and better security measures.
On August 9, 2024, the body of the medic was found semi-naked inside RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.
An autopsy revealed she had been raped beforehand, suffering horrific injuries.
The 31-year-old had been on a night shift.
After finishing her duties, she had dinner with two colleagues. At around 2 am, she went to the seminar hall to go to sleep, where she was attacked.
A police volunteer has since been arrested.
Identified as Sanjay Roy, analysis of his phone revealed “disturbing and violent” pornography clips.
His neighbours have also claimed that he has been married several times, with three of his wives leaving Roy due to his abusive nature.
Others described Roy as a habitual offender, with a pattern of violence against women.
According to his neighbours, Roy often returned home drunk.
However, his mother has defended him and claimed he is being framed.
Protests have spread to other parts of India, with over 8,000 government doctors in Maharashtra halting work in all hospital departments except emergency services.
The Federation of Resident Doctors Association had called for nationwide halting of elective services in hospitals starting August 12, 2024.
In Delhi, junior doctors wearing white coats held posters that read:
“Doctors are not punching bags.”
Similar protests are happening in Lucknow and Goa.
A doctor at Gobind Ballabh Pant Hospital in Agartala said:
“We feel a free and fair atmosphere is required for doctors, or else, no skilled work is possible.
“We also demand the installation of CCTV cameras in the hospitals.”
A high court in Kolkata ordered that the criminal investigation into the incident be transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation, indicating that the authorities were treating the case as a national priority.
India’s medical education regulator, the National Medical Commission, issued a notice to all medical institutions calling for CCTV cameras to be installed in sensitive areas and for adequate security staff to be available.
The notice also called for the campus including all corridors to be well lit in the evening for staff to safely walk from one place to another.
Indian doctors in the crowded government hospitals have long complained of being overworked and underpaid.
They have also said not enough is done to curb violence levelled at them by people angered about the medical care on offer.
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