Kolkata doctor rape and murder case: Indian medics call for nationwide strike

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to lead rally calling for justice

Medical students at the Gandhi Hospital in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, protest against the rape and murder of a training doctor in Kolkata. AFP

Doctors in India called for a nationwide shutdown of medical services as the protest movement intensified on Friday over the rape and murder of a trainee doctor in the eastern city of Kolkata.

The 24-hour suspension will begin from Saturday morning, the Indian Medical Association said on Thursday, but emergency services will remain available. It would be the largest strike in about a decade.

A trainee doctor at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, in West Bengal state, was sexually assaulted and killed on August 9. The body of the 31-year-old woman was discovered in the government-run hospital severe injuries, including to her head.

"Doctors, especially women, are vulnerable to violence because of the nature of the profession," the medical association said in a statement on X on Thursday. "It is for the authorities to provide for the safety of doctors inside hospitals and campuses."

The announcement of the strike came a day after a mob attacked the hospital as protesters, mostly women, gathered for a midnight march. Demonstrators named the female doctor as Abhaya, which means "fearless". The name of a victim of sexual assault cannot be publicly disclosed, under Indian law.

A civic volunteer was arrested a day after the doctor's body was found, but her colleagues and family say more than one person was involved in the assault. They have accused police of mismanaging the investigation or trying to protect those responsible.

Junior doctors across India have staged protests since the start of the week. This action led to outpatient departments being closed and disruption to elective services.

On Wednesday, about 40 people vandalised the hospital as dozens outside protested against the assault. Some threw stones at police, who fired tear gas. Police arrested 19 people in connection with the vandalism.

War of words

The attack on the doctor has led to a war of words between the state’s ruling Trinamool Congress party and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, leader of the TMC, is expected to lead a rally in Kolkata on Friday evening to demand justice for the woman and call for the accused to face the death penalty if convicted.

The BJP is also to hold protests in the city on Friday. The party said Ms Banerjee’s government failed to uphold law and order in the state.

The incident has been compared to a 2012 attack on a physiotherapy student in New Delhi. Nirbhaya, 23, died from her injuries after being raped by six men on a bus.

It led to protests across India and the government promised to overhaul the judiciary and rape laws. New Delhi promised in 2017 to set up 1,800 fast-track courts for sexual assault cases, but only 722 are in operation, with about 600,000 cases pending.

Only 32 per cent rape cases resulted in convictions in 2017, government data found. Many ended in acquittal because of errors in investigations, or after victims withdrew their complaints.