Indian Medical Professionals Refuse to Stop Protesting over Kolkata Doctor's Rape and Murder

Almost a week after they began a statewide action demanding a safer workplace and a prompt criminal investigation, thousands of junior doctors in India refused to stop protesting over the rape and death of a fellow medic on Monday, disrupting hospital services.

Following the death of the 31-year-old doctor on August 9, who authorities claim was raped and killed at a hospital in the eastern city of Kolkata where she was a trainee, medical professionals across the nation have staged protests and refused to treat non-emergency patients.

A volunteer police officer was taken into custody and accused of the crime. Women activists claim that the incident has brought attention to the fact that, in spite of stricter legislation implemented following the 2012 gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old student in New Delhi on a moving bus, women in India are still victims of sexual abuse.

The government has asked doctors to report back to work while it forms a committee to recommend policies to strengthen security for healthcare workers.

"Our indefinite cease-work and sit-in will continue till our demands are met," said Dr. Aniket Mahata, a spokesman for the junior doctors on strike at the R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital, where the incident took place.

On Sunday evening, thousands of fans of the two largest soccer clubs in West Bengal state marched through the streets of Kolkata, shouting "We want justice" in sympathy with the doctors.

Junior doctor advocacy groups from Gujarat, a western state, and the nearby state of Odisha, as well as the nation's capital, New Delhi, have stated they will not stop protesting.

The International Monetary Fund's deputy managing director, Gita Gopinath, told India's Business Standard daily that improving workplace safety will help increase the nation's 37% female labour force participation rate in FY2022-23.

"One cannot raise that (female participation) without ensuring safety at the workplace and safety of women in getting to the workplace. That is absolutely critical," Gopinath stated in the Monday interview.

(Input from various sources)

(Rehash/Priyanka Pandey)