Kolkata rape and murder case live: Doctors call for nationwide strike as protests swell

Doctors in India are staging protests against the rape and murder of a junior doctor, who was killed while on duty at a prominent state-run hospital in her West Bengal state.

The 31-year-old postgraduate trainee was found dead in a seminar hall of the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in state capital Kolkata on 9 August. An autopsy confirmed sexual assault.

A suspect has been arrested, a civil volunteer named Sanjay Roy, who is associated with the Kolkata police. The federal Central Bureau of Investigation has overtaken the case amid calls for an unbiased and transparent inquiry.

Services in government hospitals were affected and thousands of patients suffered after doctors launched a strike against workplace violence.

The Indian Medical Association, the country’s largest organisation of medics, said that it would implement a nationwide shutdown of most departments for 24 hours from Saturday morning, the largest such strike in at least a decade.

Hundreds and thousands of women across the country poured on to the streets at midnight demanding justice for the junior doctor as they participated in “reclaim the night” marches.

Key Points

• Doctor’s brutal rape and murder leads to protests in India

• Ground report: Massive protests in India as women march to ‘reclaim streets’

• West Bengal chief minister leads protest march demanding death penalty

• Victim’s family suspects foul play: ‘Was told she died by suicide'

• In pics: Women stage protest at midnight to reclaim public space

• Patients suffer as doctors stage protest against murder of colleague

Watch: Protests in India after doctor is raped and killed

12:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

West Bengal chief minister leads protest march demanding death penalty

12:03 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Mamata Banerjee, the chief minister of West Bengal, is leading a protest rally, where she demanded the death penalty for those found guilty in the Kolkata doctor’s rape and murder case.

Massive protests in India as women march to ‘reclaim streets’

11:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Tens of thousands of women took to the streets across India on Wednesday night in protest over the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at a prominent state-run hospital in West Bengal.

The largest of the protests took place in Kolkata itself, where women armed with placards, candles and the Indian national flag ushered in the country’s 78th Independence Day at midnight by demanding justice for the killing of the 31-year-old female resident at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.

The doctor cannot be named due to India’s laws protecting the identity of rape victims, even in death. Her partially naked body was discovered by students last Friday morning, with an autopsy later confirming she had been sexually assaulted.

Women at the “Reclaim the Night” protest told The Independent that they wanted swift justice for the victim – some are calling for the perpetrator or perpetrators to be given the death penalty – but also a wider reckoning on violence against women and the safety of doctors in the country.

Our ground report:

Massive protests in India as women ‘reclaim streets’ after doctor’s murder

India’s health ministry asks hospital heads to report complaints within six hours

11:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

India’s federal Director General of Health Services has asked all the heads of state-run hospitals to file a police complaint within six hours of any incidence of violence.

“In the event of any violence against any health care worker while on duty, the Head of Institution shall be responsible for filing an Institutional FIR [first information report] within a maximum of 6 hours of the incident,” the memorandum read.

Live: Protests in India after trainee doctor raped and murdered in Kolkata

10:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Opposition asks West Bengal chief minister to resign

10:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is in opposition in West Bengal state, has called on the chief minister to resign following the rape and murder of a junior doctor at a state-run hospital in Kolkata.

The BJP has accused Ms Banerjee of failing to maintain law and order after a mob of dozens of men vandalised the hospital where the woman was found dead.

The party’s women’s branch will hold a candlelight rally today, that would culminate outside Ms Banerjee’s house.

In pics: Doctors in India protest collegaue’s rape and murder

09:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

India’s Hindi film industry joins public outcry

09:11 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Bollywood stars have joined the public outrage over the rape and murder of a junior doctor in Kolkata during her 36-hour shift at a state-run hospital.

Hindi film stars such as Kareena Kapoor Khan, Preity Zinta, Richa Chadha, Alia Bhatt, Swara Bhasker and Tisca Chopra have called for swift justice for the victim.

“Another brutal rape. Another day of realisation that women are not safe, anywhere,” Ms Bhatt wrote on Instagram.

Ms Bhasker said the crime was a “painful reminder that India is no country for women”, adding that “the accused must be put on trial and justice must be served speedily”.

Patients suffer as doctors stage protest against murder of colleague

09:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

The doctors’ strike has left thousands of low-income patients in distress across state-run hospitals.

Shyamal Guha, 78, was one such patient at the RG Kar hospital, who was made to return after spending more than two hours in the ambulance at the hospital earlier this week.

“My father had a heart attack yesterday, now due to more complications the hospital asked us to move him here. They are now refusing to take him to the emergency room. If this continues, he will die,” Mr Guha’s son, Pradip, said.

While a series of ambulances made their way into the hospital premises, the patients inside the vehicle were forced to wait for hours and eventually return to find another hospital. “It is 4.30pm and RG Kar is the third hospital to have refused me treatment,” said a woman in anguish.

West Bengal chief minister calls for death penalty

08:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has called authorities to hand a death penalty to those involved in the rape and murder of a 31-year-old junior doctor inside the hospital in Kolkata city last week.

Ms Banerjee, the only woman chief minister in India, will lead a political rally today in Kolkata demanding swift justice for the victim.

One suspect has been arrested in the case, a civil volunteer named Sanjay Roy, who is associated with the Kolkata Police.

The case has since been taken over by the federal Central Bureau of Investigation amid calls for an unbiased and transparent inquiry into the crime.

“Give death penalty to those who are actually responsible for the crime but innocents should not be punsihed,” Ms Banrejee said in her appeal to the protesting doctors at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.

The resident doctors association of the RG Kar Medical College ceased work on the emergency services last week.

Indian doctors call for fresh nationwide shutdown

08:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

The Indian Medical Association, the country’s largest grouping of medics, said it would implement a nationwide shutdown of most departments, except essential services, for 24 hours from Saturday morning, the largest such strike in at least a decade.

“Doctors, especially women are vulnerable to violence because of the nature of the profession. It is for the authorities to provide for the safety of doctors inside hospitals and campuses,” the IMA said in a statement issued on X late.

Massive protests have erupted in India following the rape and murder of a junior doctor during her 36-hour shift at a state-run hospital in the eastern city of Kolkata.

‘Dozens of men barged in and started assaulting whoever they could see,’ says doctor

07:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

The Kolkata police have arrested 19 men for breaking through the barricades at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital and went on a rampage inside the emergency ward.

The peaceful protests led by women on Wednesday were marred later in the night by a mob of men who broke through the police barricade, vandalising the protest venue and ransacking the emergency ward.

“We were preparing to take out a rally, when out of nowhere dozens of men barged in and started assaulting whoever they could see,” a resident doctor, who did not wish to be named, told The Independent.

“We ran inside the hospital to save ourselves. They were out for blood.”

Kolkata Police fired teargas to disperse the protesters and detained several men from the crowd, though they are yet to comment on the motive behind the attack.

“The mob was tearing wires to snap the electricity with their bare hands. They had rods and swords and came charging towards the police,” an officer with Kolkata Police told The Print.

“There were patients undergoing treatment and the force saved them on priority.”

A video shared on social media showed the mob breaking down a police barrier at the entrance of the government hospital. A person could be heard repeatedly begging them: “Don’t do this.”

Massive protests in India as women march to ‘reclaim streets’ after

07:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Tens of thousands of women took to the streets across India on Wednesday night in protest over the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at a prominent state-run hospital in West Bengal.

The largest of the protests took place in Kolkata itself, where women armed with placards, candles and the Indian national flag ushered in the country’s 78th Independence Day at midnight by demanding justice for the killing of the 31-year-old female resident at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.

Women at the “Reclaim the Night” protest told The Independent that they wanted swift justice for the victim – some are calling for the perpetrator or perpetrators to be given the death penalty – but also a wider reckoning on violence against women and the safety of doctors in the country.

Our ground report:

Massive protests in India as women ‘reclaim streets’ after doctor’s murder

Watch: Doctors protest in India

06:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Prime minister Narendra Modi condemns atrocities against women

06:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Prime minister Narendra Modi condemned atrocities against women in his Independence Day address yesterday, calling for stricter punishments for the perpetrators.

“As a society, we have to think about the atrocities being committed against our mothers, daughters and sisters. There is outrage against this in the country. I can feel this outrage,” he said.

Police in India recorded 31,516 reports of rape in 2022, a 20 per cent increase from 2021, according to the National Crime Records Bureau.

In pics: Women stage protest at midnight to reclaim public space

05:31 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Victim’s family suspects foul play

05:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

The victim’s family alleged they were initially informed by a senior police official over the phone that their daughter had died by suicide.

A relative of the family, who went to the hospital with the doctor’s parents, said they were made to wait outside for three hours.

“The parents pleaded before them (hospital authorities) to show them their daughter’s face. But still, they were made to wait for three hours,” the relative told India Today.

The victim’s father told reporters: “I have turned down compensation. It will hurt my daughter if I accept money as compensation for her death. I want justice.”

Doctor’s brutal rape and murder leads to protests in India

05:04 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

The brutal rape and murder of a resident doctor during her 36-hour shift at a prominent state-run hospital in eastern India has led to an outbreak of protests and calls for a nationwide strike.

Protesters demanded “justice for our didi [elder sister]” outside the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata where the 31-year-old postgraduate trainee was found dead.

The Independent spoke to doctors who unanimously agreed that the facility lacked safety measures for medical workers.

Our ground report :

Kolkata protests: Doctor’s brutal rape and murder leads to protests in India

Doctors in India demand safety at the workplace

05:03 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Hundreds and thousands of doctors across government hospitals in India staged a strike earlier this week, seeking justice for the victim and better workplace safety for the medicos.

The pan-India doctors’ strike was in response to a call by the Federation of Resident Doctors Association (Forda) in solidarity with the agitation in Kolkata.

The resident doctors association of the RG Kar Medical College ceased work on the emergency services last week.

The federation demanded the implementation of the central healthcare protection act, which prohibits acts of violence against healthcare service personnel including doctors, nurses, para-medical workers, medical students, and ambulance drivers.

The nationwide strike was called off after two days but the doctors at RG Kar refused to rejoin work.

Protests swell over rape and murder of 31-year-old doctor

05:01 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Protests have erupted across India over the rape and murder of a 31-year-old junior doctor, who was found dead inside the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in the eastern city of Kolkata.

The victim was last seen after midnight on 9 August before she went to a third-floor seminar hall of the pulmonology department in the emergency building of the hospital during her 36-hour on-call duty.

Her partially naked body with visible marks of abuse was discovered by fellow students after 7am (local time) on Friday.

The local police arrested a civil volunteer associated with the Kolkata Police, Sanjay Roy, and remanded him to 14 days of custody. The suspect has been charged with rape and murder.

04:49 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s blog on the ongoing protests in India demanding justice for the rape and murder of a 31-year-old junior doctor in Kolkata, West Bengal.