India: Doctors protest after medic raped and murdered

Thousands of doctors across major cities in India, including the capital, New Delhi, on Tuesday, joined in on protests sparked by the alleged rape and murder of a trainee last week.

A 31-year-old female medical trainee was found dead at one of the largest government hospitals in the eastern city of Kolkata on Friday. Her body sustained multiple injuries and an autopsy report described evidence of sexual violence. 

After the incident, doctors walked off their jobs at government hospitals, demanding better security and safety measures for health workers. The chief of the institution involved, RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, resigned on Monday. 

Protests flare as doctors demand better safety

Protests picked up across government-run facilities in the eastern state of West Bengal, home to Kolkata, on Monday — with doctors saying they would suspend emergency services as well until at least Tuesday. 

"As resident doctors, we are on the frontline and deal with lots of patients, which makes us quite vulnerable to these attacks," Doctor Rajat Sharma, vice president of India's Federation of Resident Doctors Association (FORDA), told DW.

"It's a scary situation which we see working on a daily basis. Doctors in West Bengal are protesting for their rights. We want to have better security for our resident doctors."

Around 75% of doctors in India have faced some form of violence, according to a survey by the Indian Medical Association.

Sharma's FORDA colleague Sarvesh Pandey told Indian media that doctors' demands included a specialized law protecting healthcare workers from violence on the job. 

"There should be stringent security measures in hospitals and CCTV cameras should be installed," he said.

Students at universities in Kolkata also joined in on protests, demanding better safety measures for women in particular.

 Sexual violence against women is a big problem in India.

The National Crimes Records Bureau reported that in 2021, an average of 86 rape cases were registered every day and 49 cases of crime against women lodged every single hour. 

Protests spread to major cities, some services hampered

The incident has struck a nerve in the medical community who have repeatedly said they face threats from angry family members, especially in the case of bad news involving medical issues. 

In the western Maharashtra state, home to financial capital Mumbai, around 8,000 doctors at government hospitals walked off their jobs on Tuesday.

In New Delhi, junior doctors wearing white coats held banners that read "Doctors are not punching bags" as they sat outside a big government hospital to demand an investigation into the incident.

Protests hampered medical services in the city of Lucknow in the most populous state of Uttar Pradesh, as well as in the popular tourist state of Goa.

How have Indian authorities responded?

The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday ordered the case to be transferred over to a federal agency, meaning that Kolkata police will have to submit all case documents to the agency.

Kolkata police initially set up a special investigative team and arrested a man in connection with the case.

City police chief Vineet Kumar Goyal told reporters a case had been registered against the suspect under provisions of the law relating to rape and murder.

The National Human Rights Commission on Tuesday sent notices to the director general of police and the chief secretary of West Bengal state, asking for a detailed report within two weeks. 

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee met the family of the victim on Monday, telling reporters later that police were "giving utmost importance to the investigation."

The report used material from the Reuters news agency

Edited by: Wesley Rahn 

Correction: An earlier version of this article stated that 86 rape cases and 49 cases of crime against women lodged every single hour in 2021. This has been corrected to 86 rape cases per day. DW apologizes for the error.