In the aftermath of a horrific crime that has shocked the nation, protests continue to spread across India as junior medical doctors demand justice for a 31-year-old postgraduate medical student who was raped and murdered in Kolkata on August 9.
Despite the official end of a strike called by a major doctors’ association, many doctors remained off duty, and public demonstrations have intensified.
Doctors all over the country have taken to the streets in candlelight marches, protesting and refusing to attend to non-emergency patients over the past week. The tragic incident occurred at the British colonial-era R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital, where the victim was studying chest medicine. The case has reignited concerns over women’s safety in India, drawing comparisons to the 2012 gang-rape and murder of a 23-year-old student on a moving bus in Delhi—a crime that led to sweeping changes in India’s criminal justice system.
In solidarity with the medical community, thousands of people marched through the streets of Kolkata on Sunday evening, chanting “we want justice” as authorities in West Bengal struggled to contain the growing unrest. The victim’s father, who is legally barred from being named, expressed gratitude for the widespread support. “My daughter is gone but millions of sons and daughters are now with me,” he told reporters on Saturday. “This has given me a lot of strength and I feel we will gain something out of it.”
The accused, a police volunteer, who was designated to assist police personnel with hospital admissions, has been arrested and charged with the crime. His mother, speaking to Reuters, expressed deep remorse. “I should not have given birth to my son… it’s a huge mistake,” she said from her home, acknowledging the gravity of her son’s actions.
The Indian Medical Association (IMA), which had called for a 24-hour strike that ended early Sunday, urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene, citing the urgent need for enhanced security protocols in hospitals, similar to those in place at airports. “As 60% of India’s doctors are women, he needed to intervene to ensure hospital staff were protected by security protocols akin to those at airports,” the IMA wrote in a letter to the Prime Minister.
The R.G. Kar hospital has been the epicenter of ongoing agitation, with police imposing a ban on gatherings of five or more people around the hospital—a directive that was defied by protesters late Sunday before they eventually dispersed. The government has urged doctors to return to work to address rising cases of dengue and malaria, while also setting up a committee to recommend measures for the better protection of healthcare professionals.
Although most doctors have resumed their duties, the threat of further action looms large. Dr. Madan Mohan Paliwal, the IMA head in Uttar Pradesh, stated, “The doctors are back to their routine… The next course of action will be decided if the government does not take any strict steps to protect doctors… and this time we could stop emergency services too.”
Meanwhile, the All India Residents and Junior Doctors’ Joint Action Forum has vowed to continue its “nationwide cease-work” unless authorities conduct a thorough inquiry and make additional arrests within 72 hours. In Prime Minister Modi’s home state of Gujarat, over 6,000 trainee doctors in government hospitals have stayed away from non-emergency services for the third consecutive day, though private hospitals have resumed regular operations.
In Bhubaneswar, junior doctors and interns at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences have also not returned to duty, further straining the healthcare system. “There is a lot of pressure on others because manpower is reduced,” said Dr. Prabhas Ranjan Tripathy, the additional medical superintendent.
