Protests in India escalate over rape and murder of doctor

MUMBAI – Thousands of women marched in several Indian cities overnight and Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanded strict punishment for crimes against women as outrage and protests escalated over the gruesome rape and murder of a doctor.

Carrying candles and signs reading “Take back the night,” women marched in several cities, including the eastern Indian city of Calcutta, where the rape and murder of a junior doctor last week sparked protests by health care colleagues demanding better and safer working conditions.

Many government hospitals in cities across India shut down all operations except emergency departments earlier this week, while junior doctors sat outside the doors in protest, demanding justice for the victim.

The 31-year-old doctor was found dead on Friday. Police said she had been raped and murdered. A volunteer police officer was subsequently arrested in connection with the crime.

“As a society, we need to reflect on the atrocities being committed against our mothers, daughters and sisters. There is outrage across the country about this. I can feel that outrage,” Modi said in an address to the nation on the 78th Independence Day on Thursday.

The rape brings back memories of a similar case in New Delhi in 2012, when a gang of men raped and severely injured a 23-year-old student on a moving bus in Delhi, ultimately leading to her death.

“This horrific incident has reminded us once again that women bear a disproportionate amount of responsibility for their own safety,” said Bollywood actress Alia Bhatt in a post on her Instagram page, which has more than 85 million followers.

Doctors in India's overcrowded and often dirty government hospitals have long complained of overwork and underpayment, and say not enough is being done to curb violence from people angry at the medical care provided.

According to data from the National Crime Records Bureau released late last year, the number of crimes against women in India increased by 4% in 2022 compared to the previous year.