Protests have intensified across India after a mob vandalized a hospital where a female trainee doctor was raped and murdered in West Bengal. The attack on the hospital occurred on Wednesday during the massive “Reclaim the Night” march in Kolkata, which was organized to protest the brutal crime.
The protests have spread to several Indian cities, including Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Pune, where smaller demonstrations have taken place. The Indian Medical Association (IMA), the largest organization of doctors in the country, has announced a nationwide strike of non-emergency services on Saturday in response to the incident.
Doctors’ associations in other cities, as well as political parties in West Bengal, have also planned marches on Friday and over the weekend to protest the attack and demand justice. The “Reclaim the Night” march on Wednesday saw tens of thousands of women across the state participating to demand “independence to live in freedom and without fear.”
Although the protests were mostly peaceful, violence erupted when a group of unidentified men stormed the RG Kar Hospital—the site of the crime—and vandalized its emergency ward. Videos circulating online showed the attackers smashing beds and equipment with sticks. Some doctors and hospital staff were reportedly injured in the chaos, and police vehicles were also damaged, prompting the police to use tear gas to disperse the crowd. The Kolkata police have arrested 19 people in connection with the incident so far.
On Thursday, the IMA condemned the attack, describing it as “hooliganism unleashed on protesting students” and announced a 24-hour withdrawal of non-emergency services starting at 06:00 local time [00:30 GMT] on Saturday. In their statement, the IMA emphasized that “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 Federation of Resident Doctors’ Association (Forda), another major doctors’ organization, has resumed its strike after initially calling it off on Tuesday following assurances from federal Health Minister JP Nadda that their demands, including a federal law to curb attacks on doctors, would be addressed.
The incident has also sparked a political blame game in West Bengal, with the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accusing the ruling Trinamool Congress Party (TMC) of orchestrating the attack. The TMC has denied the allegations, blaming “political outsiders” for inciting the violence.
The rape and murder of the 31-year-old female trainee doctor has shocked the nation. Her half-naked body, bearing extensive injuries, was found in a seminar hall last week, and a hospital volunteer has been arrested in connection with the crime.
In a troubling development, two more incidents of rape have made headlines in India. In Uttarakhand, a nurse was allegedly raped and killed while returning home from work. Her body was found last week after she had gone missing at the end of July. A man from Rajasthan has been arrested in connection with the crime. Meanwhile, in Bihar, six people have been arrested for the alleged gang-rape and murder of a teenage Dalit girl, whose mutilated body was discovered near a pond in Muzaffarpur district on Tuesday morning.
