New Delhi, Aug 19 (EFE).- The mass protests that began a week ago in India over the rape and murder of a young doctor inside a hospital in the eastern city of Kolkata continued on Monday in different parts of the country.
Doctors from the country’s main unions have been on strike in several major hospitals for the fifth consecutive day, except for emergency and intensive care.
Several medical professionals demonstrated Monday outside the Ministry of Health in New Delhi, holding up banners with slogans such as “Hands that heal should not bleed,” and demanding measures to ensure the safety of medical staff.
In the south of the country, protests have been organized, and associations of doctors and residents from different states have called for greater transparency in the investigation of the case.
Resident physicians of the Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), the main hospital in the national capital, today offered elective outpatient services in front of the Ministry of Health, where they continued the protest.
A 31-year-old resident doctor was raped and murdered on Aug 9 inside a hospital where she worked, in Kolkata, capital of West Bengal state.
The authorities have arrested one suspect so far, but her family members have claimed that according to forensic evidence, more than one person may be involved in the crime.
The case has been marked by irregularities since the authorities discovered the young woman’s body and initially reported the case as a suicide, followed by a significant lack of transparency and question marks over the investigations that have resulted in the widespread protests.
“Bengal is not a place safe for women. Bengal has failed its women. Not the society but the present government has failed its women folk,” West Bengal Governor Ananda Bose, who represents the federal government in the state, told the media on Monday.
At the same time, protests have increased in Kolkata against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee – opposed to the federal government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi – converting the issue into a political weapon among different groups.
Sexual violence against women remains a persistent issue in India, often sparking societal backlash and demands for stronger safety measures. In 2022, India recorded 31,500 rape cases—an average of 86 per day. EFE
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