Thousands of outraged Indian protesters, including archrival soccer fans and lawyers, yesterday called for justice after the rape and murder of a doctor as widespread strikes by healthcare workers entered a second week.
The discovery of the 31-year-old doctor’s bloodied body at a state-run hospital in Kolkata on Aug. 9 sparked medical strikes and protests across India, channeling anger at the chronic issue of violence against women
Doctors’ associations from government-run hospitals in many cities across the country yesterday continued strikes that cut non-essential services.
Photo: Reuters
“We have forgotten our rivalries to make common cause in calling for justice for the doctor and her family,” said Bablu Mukherjee, a supporter of Kolkata’s Mohun Bagan soccer team. “The cause is bigger than our club, even bigger than politics.”
The murdered doctor was found in the teaching hospital’s seminar hall, suggesting she had gone there for a break during a 36-hour-long shift.
An autopsy confirmed sexual assault and, in a petition to the Kolkata High Court, her parents said they suspected their daughter was gang raped.
In a rare case of unity, fans from Kolkata’s usual rivals the East Bengal club marched alongside them in a midnight rally that lasted into the early hours yesterday.
“We are with the doctors,” the fans chanted in unison, shrugging off torrential monsoon rains and police seeking to break up the rally. “We want justice.”
Many of the protests in multiple cities have been led by doctors and other healthcare workers, but have also been joined by tens of thousands of ordinary Indians demanding action.
“It’s not just a protest, but a call to humanity,” said 23-year-old student Sristi Haldar, from Kolkata’s Presidency University, who joined the candlelit rally.
“We are angry,” she said. “It’s about the safety of all women everywhere.”
Doctors from the R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital, where the murder occurred, yesterday rallied outside the building.
“We are determined that we don’t give in to pressure to remain silent,” said Shreya Shaw, a female doctor. “The protests will go on until we get justice.”
With non-essential medical procedures closed, some of the striking doctors in the capital, New Delhi, offered to see patients for free outside the Indian Ministry of Health.
India’s Supreme Court has also taken up the case, overseeing the process in Kolkata’s High Court, with a hearing set for today.
One man, who worked at the hospital helping people navigate busy lines, has been detained.
Hundreds of lawyers, mostly women, joined the protests in Kolkata, marching in legal black gowns.
“No mercy to rapists,” one banner read.
Doctors have also demanded the implementation of the Central Protection Act, a bill to protect healthcare workers from violence.
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