Protests have intensified across India after a mob vandalized the RG Kar Hospital in West Bengal, where a female trainee doctor was recently raped and murdered. The attack on the hospital occurred on Wednesday during the Reclaim the Night march in Kolkata, which drew tens of thousands of women demanding safety and justice.
The brutal crime has sparked outrage nationwide, with smaller protests erupting in cities like Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Pune. In response, the Indian Medical Association (IMA), the country’s largest organization of doctors, has announced a nationwide strike of non-emergency services on Saturday.
The Reclaim the Night march, which saw widespread participation across West Bengal, aimed to demand “independence to live in freedom and without fear.” Although the protests were largely peaceful, violence erupted when a group of unidentified men stormed the RG Kar Hospital and ransacked its emergency ward. Video footage shared on social media showed the attackers smashing hospital beds and equipment with sticks.
Witnesses reported that some doctors and hospital staff were injured during the attack. Police vehicles were also damaged, and tear gas was deployed to disperse the crowd. Kolkata police have arrested 19 individuals in connection with the incident.
The IMA condemned the hospital attack, describing it as “hooliganism unleashed on protesting students.” The association announced a 24-hour strike of non-emergency services, beginning at 06:00 local time [00:30 GMT] on Saturday, to protest the lack of safety for doctors.
“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, calling for national solidarity with the cause.
The Federation of Resident Doctors’ Association (Forda), another prominent doctors’ group, has also resumed its strike after briefly halting it earlier in the week following assurances from federal Health Minister JP Nadda that their demands would be addressed, including the enactment of a federal law to protect doctors from violence.
The incident has sparked a political blame game in West Bengal. The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accused the governing Trinamool Congress Party (TMC) of orchestrating the attack. The TMC has denied these allegations, instead blaming “political outsiders” for inciting violence.
The rape and murder of the 31-year-old female trainee doctor has shocked the nation. Her half-naked body, bearing severe injuries, was discovered in a hospital seminar hall last week. A hospital volunteer has been arrested in connection with the crime.
The outrage has been further fueled by additional reports of sexual violence in India. In Uttarakhand, a nurse was allegedly raped and killed while returning home from work. Meanwhile, in Bihar, six people have been arrested for the alleged gang-rape and murder of a six-year-old Dalit girl, whose mutilated body was found in Muzaffarpur district.
