ReutersIndian doctors have started a national strike, fueling a protest against the rape and murder of a female colleague in the city of West Bengal, Kolkata.
The Indian Medical Association (IMA), the country’s largest medical group, said all non-essential hospital services will be closed across the country on Saturday.
The IMA described last week’s killing as “a dangerous crime due to the lack of safe spaces for women” and asked for the country’s support in its “struggle 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 it happened.
In a statement, the IMA said that emergency and injured workers will continue to work and the strike will last for 24 hours.
Doctors at some public hospitals announced earlier this week that they are permanently suspending selection procedures.
The IMA has also issued a list of demands which include the strengthening of the law to better protect medical workers from violence, increasing the level of safety in hospitals and the creation of safe resting places.
It called for a “careful and professional investigation” into the killing and the prosecution of those involved in the vandalism, with compensation for the woman’s family.
The rape of this 31-year-old female doctor shocked the country.
His naked body with multiple injuries was found in the lecture hall of RG Kar Medical College last week after he reportedly went there to rest while working.
A volunteer who was working in this hospital was arrested for this crime.
The case has been transferred from the local police to the Indian Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) following criticism of the lack of progress.
Many cases of rape have been in the headlines in India since the woman’s death and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that “misbehavior against women must be punished hard and fast”.
EPAThe rape and murder of the woman has sparked a political blame game in West Bengal, with the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accusing the ruling Trinamool Congress Party (TMC) of masterminding the attack.
The TMC dismissed the allegations and blamed “political outsiders” for instigating the violence.
Tens of thousands of women across West Bengal took part in the Reclaim the Night march on Wednesday night demanding “independence to live freely and without fear”.
Although the protests were peaceful, clashes broke out between the police and a group of unidentified men who stormed RG Kar Hospital – the site of the crime – and broke into the emergency ward.
About 25 people have been arrested in connection with this incident so far.
Protests were also held in many other Indian cities such as Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Pune.
“It seems that hope has become stronger,” another protester, Sumita Datta, told AFP news agency as thousands of people marched through the streets of Kolkata on Friday.
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