India’s largest association of doctors, the IMA, has called a 24-hour strike across the country for Saturday, halting all non-essential surgeries and procedures. This follows the brutal rape of a young female medical student in Kolkata in eastern India last week.
It was after a grueling 36-hour shift at the RG Kar Hospital in the city that the 31-year-old woman, in the absence of rest rooms, took to a seminar room to rest. The following morning, her colleagues allegedly found her half-naked body, with extensive injuries, they say BBC.
A man who is said to have had some form of employment at the hospital has been arrested. At the same time, the lack of progress in the criminal investigation has drawn criticism, according to the TV channel.
Big demonstrations
As early as Monday, some hospitals went on strike. On Wednesday, tens of thousands of women marched in the streets of the state and in other Indian cities under the slogan “Reclaim the night” (Reclaim the night, editor’s note), demanding the right to independence and to “live in freedom and without fear”.
On Friday too, thousands of people marched on the streets of Kolkata.
– It feels like hope has returned, said protester Sumita Datta, to the AFP news agency.
The parents of the rape victim have expressed their support for the protests.
– I have lost my daughter, but I have won millions, the father told reporters on Friday, moved by the massive turnout.
He also urged people to refrain from naming the daughter and to respect her memory by not spreading photos of her body and false information, reports Times of India.
– We send our love to all the protesters, said the woman’s mother.
Modi condemns
Violent riots have also broken out in various places.
The IMA describes the rape as a “crime of barbaric proportions due to the lack of safe spaces for women”, reports BBC.
The medical association has also issued a list of demands, including a tightening of the law to better protect staff against violence, increase security in the country’s hospitals and create safe spaces for recovery and rest.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemns men’s violence against women. He is calling for swift investigations and harsh punishments, including the death penalty by hanging, for those who commit such “demonic acts,” the news site reports Times Now.