Joe McConnell
NewsDoctors in India have launched a nationwide strike, intensifying their protests against the rape and murder of a colleague in the West Bengal city of Kolkata.
The Indian Medical Association (IMA), the country’s largest doctors’ association, said all non-essential hospital services would be closed across the country on Saturday.
The IMA described last week’s killing as a “crime of barbaric proportions due to the lack of safe spaces for women” and called for the country’s support in its “fight for justice.”
Protests against the attack and calls for better protection for women have intensified in recent days after a mob vandalized the hospital where the attack took place.
In a statement, the IMA said that emergency and rescue services will continue to operate and that the strike will last 24 hours.
Doctors at some public hospitals announced earlier this week that they would suspend elective surgeries indefinitely.
The IMA also released a list of demands, including strengthening the law to better protect medical personnel from violence, increasing the level of security in hospitals, and creating safe spaces for rest.
He called for a “meticulous and professional investigation” into the murder and the prosecution of those responsible for the vandalism, as well as compensation for the woman’s family.
The rape of a 31-year-old medical intern has shocked the country.
Her half-naked and badly injured body was discovered last week in a seminar room at RG Kar Medical College, where she had gone to rest during her shift.
A volunteer who worked at the hospital was arrested in connection with the crime.
The case was transferred from the local police to India’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) following criticism over the lack of progress.
Following the woman’s death, rape cases have increased in India, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying that “monstrous behavior against women should be punished severely and swiftly.”
EPAThe woman’s rape and murder have 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 rejected the allegations and blamed the violence on “external political agents”.
On Wednesday evening, tens of thousands of women across West Bengal took part in the Reclaim the Night march to demand “independence to live in freedom and without fear”.
Although the protests were largely peaceful, clashes broke out between police and a small group of unidentified men who stormed the RG Kar hospital, the scene of the crime, and ransacked its emergency room.
At least 25 people have been arrested so far in connection with the incident.
Protests also took place in many other Indian cities such as Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Pune.
“It seems like hope is being rekindled,” Sumita Datta, one of the protesters, told AFP news agency, as thousands marched through the streets of Kolkata on Friday.
