Thousands of junior doctors in India continued their protests on Monday, disrupting hospital services nearly a week after they began their nationwide action demanding safer workplaces and prompt criminal justice. The protests were sparked by the August 9 rape and murder of a 31-year-old trainee doctor at a hospital in Kolkata.
The police have arrested a volunteer who has been charged with the crime. Women’s rights activists have highlighted the incident as a stark reminder of ongoing sexual violence against women in India, despite the stricter laws enacted following the 2012 gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old student in New Delhi.
The government has urged the doctors to resume their duties while it forms a committee to recommend measures for improving safety for healthcare professionals.
Dr. Aniket Mahata, a spokesperson for the protesting junior doctors at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, where the crime occurred, stated, “Our indefinite strike and sit-in will continue until our demands are met.”
In support of the doctors, thousands of fans from West Bengal’s two major soccer clubs rallied in Kolkata on Sunday evening, chanting, “We want justice.” Protests by junior doctors have also spread to neighboring Odisha, the capital city of New Delhi, and the western state of Gujarat, with no end in sight for the demonstrations.
