India: 90% of doctors on a nationwide strike to protest the rape and murder of a colleague in Kolkata
KOLKATA – More than one million doctors in hospitals and clinics across India held a nationwide strike on Saturday in protest against the brutal rape and murder of a doctor in the eastern city of Kolkata.
According to the Indian Medical Association (IMA), 90% of doctors are on strike. The protest began early this morning, halting all medical services except for emergency cases, and calling for a deterrent and “harsh punishment.”
A 31-year-old trainee doctor was raped and murdered last week inside the RG Kar Medical College in Kolkata, stirring indignation and nationwide protests among doctors.
The government, on the other hand, urged the doctors to resume their duties in a statement issued on Saturday after a meeting with representatives of medical associations.
India’s Central Bureau of Investigation started the probe by summoning and questioning a number of medical students from the RG Kar College, along with the hospital’s principal, according to a police source in Kolkata.
Despite the amendments introduced by the government regarding the criminal justice system in the wake of the Delhi gang-rape back in 2012, campaigners and protestors say little has changed.
