Indian doctors turn away patients and demand stricter laws after sexual assault and murder of a colleague

[Source]

Doctors across India are refusing to treat non-emergency patients and demanding safer workplaces in protest against the rape and murder of a 31-year-old junior doctor in the eastern Indian city of Calcutta on August 9. The strike, which began the same day, has since significantly disrupted medical care across the country.

• Motivation for the protest: The doctor-in-training was brutally raped and murdered at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. The autopsy shows multiple injuries, suggesting she resisted her attackers before being strangled. A volunteer police officer was arrested, but the victim's family claims it was a gang rape and the case has been referred to India's Central Bureau of Investigation. The incident sparked nationwide outrage, reminiscent of the Delhi gang rape in 2012. Thousands took to the streets demanding justice.

• What the doctors say: The protesting doctors are demanding immediate and strict security measures, including increased hospital security, safe rest rooms and legal protection that makes any attack on on-duty medical staff a non-bailable offence. “Our indefinite work stoppage and sit-in will continue until our demands are met,” said Dr Aniket Mahata, a spokesperson for the striking junior doctors at RG Kar Medical College. The government has promised to set up a committee to look into these concerns.

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