Protests broke out across India last week after a 31-year-old junior doctor was raped and murdered at work.
The doctor, who worked at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, a government institution in the eastern Indian city of Kolkata, fell asleep in a seminar room after a 36-hour shift, the Associated Press reported. She was found dead Friday with injuries to her eyes, mouth, legs and several other parts of her body.
A police volunteer was arrested after the doctor’s death. Federal investigators are investigating what happened, AP reported.
Outrage flared on Wednesday, with doctors across the country taking to the streets to protest for justice for doctors and better working conditions in hospitals, which many say are neglected and often overcrowded.
Signs reading “We want justice” and “Reclaim the night” flooded the streets of Indian cities in the wake of the tragedy. Some protests did not remain peaceful, with reports of cars being attacked, hospital wards being looted and police officers being injured. AP also reported that police used tear gas on protesters in Kolkata to break up one of the rampages.
Many government hospitals in the country have shown solidarity by suspending services, except emergency rooms, to protest. Violence against doctors is not uncommon in India. According to a 2021 survey by the Indian Medical Association, more than 75% of doctors in the country have experienced some form of violence, and nearly 70% of these came from a patient’s caregivers or support staff.
In 2022, the number of crimes against women in India rose by almost 4% from the previous year, according to data from the National Crime Records Bureau, growing by almost 13% from 2018 to 2022. In West Bengal, where Kolkata is located, the rate of crimes against women stands at 71.8 per 100,000 — still above the national average of 66.4.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday that he “can feel this outrage.”
“As a society, we need to reflect on the atrocities that are being committed against our mothers, daughters and sisters. There is outrage in the country about this,” he said in an address to the nation. “Monstruous behaviour against women must be dealt with severely and swiftly.”
