Nationwide protests over Kolkata doctor's rape & murder enter 8th day, health services disrupted

New Delhi: The doctors' strike in the national capital over the rape and murder of a medic at a state-run hospital in Kolkata entered its eighth day on Monday, as non-emergency services, including OPD, remained paralysed. Junior doctors in several states, including West Bengal and Delhi, remained off duty on Sunday disrupting healthcare services. Initially restricted to medical college campuses, doctors started taking to the streets from Friday over the incident at the R G Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata.

Amid the mounting outrage, the Supreme Court on Sunday took suo motu cognisance of the case and will take it up on August 20. According to the cause list of August 20 uploaded on the apex court website, a bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra is scheduled to hear on Tuesday a matter titled 'In Re: Alleged rape and murder incident of a trainee doctor in RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata and related issue'.

Candle light march in Delhi
On Sunday, members of resident doctors' associations (RDA) in Delhi took out a candle light march from outside Gate 1 of the Rajiv Chowk Metro Station at Connaught Place. Dr Parth Mishra, vice president of UCMS and GTB Hospital RDA told PTI that as discussed, resident doctors from medical institutions participated in the march.

The demonstrators, who are demanding a central law to check violence against on-duty health personnel and justice for their peer, formed a human chain in the Connaught Place Inner Circle. Efforts were also made to interact with the public to raise awareness about the incident.

Those part of the march, which ended around 9 pm, raised slogans in support of their demands. They displayed placards demanding justice for the victim and one them read "when the white coat turns red, society turns black". A few children holding the tricolor were also spotted in march.

Late Sunday, resident doctors announced that their strike will continue. In an action plan for Monday, a meeting is scheduled for 9 am on in front of the GTB Hospital's gate. Following the meeting, the doctors will proceed to Nirman Bhawan at 11 am, according to a joint statement by RDAs.

Dr Dhruv Chauhan, health activist and national council member of the Indian Medical Association's junior doctors network, alleged, "Some hospital administrations are threatening doctors to return to duty while they are peacefully protesting for their rights. Does this mean we don't even have the freedom to exercise our right to speech and protest as permitted by the Constitution?" he asked.

If the authorities had issued as many circulars to protect doctors' rights and security, such an incident might never have happened, Chauhan added.

The strike has affected academic activities, outpatient departments (OPDs), ward services, and elective surgeries at public as well as private health facilities. Essential emergency services, including Intensive Care Units (ICUs), emergency procedures, and emergency surgeries, continue to operate.

Padma Awardees write to President
A group of distinguished Padma Awardee doctors has urgently appealed to the President of India for immediate intervention following a Kolkata incident. In a letter expressing deep concern and anguish, the doctors condemned the brutal events that have shaken the medical community and the nation at large.

The doctors highlighted the rise in violence against healthcare professionals, particularly against women and girls said "Such acts of brutality shake the very foundations of service by medical professionals," the letter read.

In their appeal, the Padma Awardee doctors have urged law enforcement agencies, policymakers, and society at large to take decisive steps to ensure the safety and dignity of healthcare professionals across the nation.

On Saturday, the Union health ministry in a statement assured that it would form a panel for suggesting measures to boost the safety of healthcare personnel. It had said Representatives of all stakeholders, including the state governments, will be invited to share their suggestions with the committee as it urged the doctors to resume their duties in the larger public interest and in view of the rising number of dengue and malaria cases.

Reclaim the Night campaign in Kolkata
In a rerun of the 'Reclaim the Night' campaign, hundreds of women took to the streets in Kolkata and other parts of West Bengal on Sunday night, demanding justice for the alleged rape and murder of a doctor in the state-run R G Kar Medical College and Hospital.

Braving intermittent rains, women of all ages and backgrounds assembled in several areas such as Jadavpur, Garia, Behala Parnashree, Khanna, Lake Town, and other city locations, and raised slogans - "We want justice".

Protests, similar to the August 14 'Reclaim the Night' gatherings across West Bengal, were also held in Madhyamgram Chowmatha in North 24 Parganas, Siliguri, Durgapur, and other locations.

Some protesters carried flaming torches, while others displayed placards, demanding exemplary punishment for those involved in the horrific crime and condemning alleged efforts by parts of the administration to shield the culprits.

Expressing solidarity with the protestors, senior BJP MLA and Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari told reporters, "I urge people to give a call for a march to state secretariat Nabanna so that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee can hear the voices of protest from her office. Let there be no party colour or flag. I am ready to support the battle of the people as a citizen."

TMC leader Kunal Ghosh told reporters that the BJP was trying to "politicise" the incident.

"The CM is on the side of the bereaved family and already hit the streets demanding exemplary punishment of culprits. The case is now being investigated by the CBI. We all want justice to be done. We all are for the security of women," he added.

'Rakhi protest' in Maharashtra
The indefinite strike by resident doctors in Maharashtra over the Kolkata rape-murder incident will continue, with their association on Sunday demanding that all government-run medical colleges and hospitals be declared safe zones and Central Healthcare Protection Act implemented.

The Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD), leading the strike since August 13, said medicos would tie Rakhis to government officials, college administrators, police, security personnel, nurses, and healthcare workers on Monday as part of the ongoing protest.

Resident doctors have been on strike since Tuesday to express solidarity with their counterparts from other cities demonstrating against the rape and murder of a junior trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata dated August 9.

"This act of tying rakhis is not merely symbolic; it is a direct challenge to the system to protect us from the violent mob attack on our doctors and medical students. We, the resident doctors of Maharashtra, stand united in outrage and action. This is not just a call for justice. This is a demand for immediate, uncompromising protective reforms," MARD stated.

According to MARD, letters, along with rakhis will be sent to Prime Minister's Office (PMO), demanding that all government medical colleges and hospitals be declared safe zones.

The association demanded that PM Narenrda Modi ensure the speedy implementation of the Central Healthcare Protection Act "because doctors lives are not negotiable".

"We will not wait for another tragedy. Our protest will continue, and we are halting elective services- OPD, ward duties, elective surgeries, lab duties, and academic duties until justice is served and a concrete decision is made on the Central Healthcare Protection Act. We refuse to back down until we see real and lasting change," the MARD added.

Emergency services will remain operational during the strike, the association said, adding that doctors will not rest until their demands are met and safety is assured.

Notably, amid the nationwide outrage and protests over the Kolkata incident, a female doctor was allegedly assaulted at the civic-run Sion hospital in Mumbai in the early hours of Sunday. Police have booked three persons, including two women, and detained two of them, an official said.

The accused allegedly targeted the doctor when she was cleaning blood from the ear of a man at the casualty ward of the facility, officially known as Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital and Lokmanya Tilak Municipal Medical College, police had said.

Assam protests
Protests were staged in Assam's Guwahati against the alleged rape and murder of a trainee doctor in a state-run Kolkata hospital, while AIUDF chief and former MP Badruddin Ajmal dashed off letters to the PM, home and health ministers, seeking exemplary punishment for the culprits.

The Assam unit of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) took out a candlelight procession near their office here, displaying placards and raising slogans demanding justice for the deceased doctor and her family.

Such a crime cannot be tolerated. It is a shame that the culprits are yet to be nabbed. We demand a quick and thorough investigation, and the most stringent punishment for the culprits, AAP leader Anurupa Dekaroja said.

A candlelight march was also organised in the city under the banner of Lions Greater', in which members of various organisations participated to protest the crime. The protestors carried placards, demanding security for women at workplaces and all public areas, justice for the victim and exemplary punishment for the culprits.

Telangana doctors meet Women's Commission Chairperson

Female junior doctors in Telangana, who are protesting over the alleged rape and murder of a woman doctor in Kolkata, on Sunday met the state Women's Commission Chairperson Nerella Sharada and urged her to take steps, including installation of CCTV cameras in hospitals, to enhance security for women medical personnel.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, a representative of the women doctors said CCTV cameras should be established in government hospitals and medical colleges and that a team should monitor the CCTV footage.

The other requests include developing a mobile app for working women which should have the facility to alert police and other officials when women are faced with any danger, she said.

Alleging that the special protection force (SPF) set up by the state government in 2019 has remained mostly on paper, she said the force should be deployed effectively with more security personnel being drafted into it. The junior doctors in Telangana have been holding protests since the last several days in protest against the woman doctor's alleged rape and murder in Kolkata and also seeking enhanced security measures in hospitals.

The incident
On August 9, the postgraduate trainee doctor was allegedly raped and murdered while on duty at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. A civic volunteer was arrested in connection with the crime the next day.
(With PTI inputs.)