By Indian medical professionals began a 24-hour strike on Saturday to protest the brutal rape and murder of a trainee doctor in the city. The nationwide shutdown, which started at 6 a.m. local time, has disrupted elective procedures and outpatient consultations across the country.
Emergency services, such as casualty departments, remain operational. The incident, which occurred at a medical college where the victim worked, has sparked widespread outrage and calls for stricter measures to protect women.
The murder has drawn parallels to the infamous gang rape and murder of a student in Delhi in 2012, reigniting concerns about rising violence against women in India. Despite existing laws, many feel that they have not been effective in deterring such crimes.
The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has expressed deep concern about the safety of female doctors and has called for urgent action to address this issue. Over a million medical professionals are expected to participate in the strike.
On 9 August 2024, Moumita Debnath, a second-year postgraduate trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College in Kolkata, West Bengal, India was found dead in a seminar hall on the college campus. An autopsy later confirmed that she had been raped and murdered. The incident has elevated debate about the safety of women and doctors in India, and has sparked significant outrage, nationwide protests, and demands for a thorough investigation
Extensive Injuries
Early on Friday morning, a 31-year-old female trainee doctor retired to sleep in a seminar hall after a gruelling day at one of India’s oldest hospitals.
It was the last time she was seen alive.
The next morning, her colleagues discovered her half-naked body on the podium, bearing extensive injuries. Police later arrested a hospital volunteer worker in connection with what they say is a case of rape and murder at Kolkata’s 138-year-old RG Kar Medical College.
Tens of thousands of women in Kolkata and across West Bengal state are expected to participate in a ‘Reclaim the Night’ march at midnight on Wednesday, demanding the “independence to live in freedom and without fear”. The march takes place just before India’s Independence Day on Thursday. Outraged doctors have struck work both in the city and across India, demanding a strict federal law to protect them.
The tragic incident has again cast a spotlight on the violence against doctors and nurses in the country. Reports of doctors, regardless of gender, being assaulted by patients and their relatives have gained widespread attention. Women – who make up nearly 30% of India’s doctors, external and 80% of the nursing staff – are more vulnerable than their male colleagues.
The crime in the Kolkata hospital last week exposed the alarming security risks faced by the medical staff in many of India’s state-run health facilities.
