Indian doctor strikes, protests grow after colleague’s murder

NEW DELHI: Indian doctors said on Friday they would increase nationwide protests and strikes after the rape and murder of a colleague, a brutal killing that has focused outrage on the chronic issue of violence against women.

The discovery of the 31-year-old´s bloodied and brutalised body on August 9 at a state-run hospital in the eastern city of Kolkata has sparked nationwide protests.

“We are intensifying our protests... to demand justice for our colleague,” Suvrankar Datta said on Friday, from the government-run All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) hospital in New Delhi.

Those in government hospitals across several states on Monday halted elective services “indefinitely” in protest.

Multiple medical unions in both government and private systems have backed the strike.

Thousands marched through the streets of Kolkata overnight on Wednesday to condemn the killing, with a candlelight rally at midnight coinciding with the start of India´s independence day celebrations.

The Indian Medical Association has called for a “nationwide withdrawal of services” for 24 hours starting Saturday, with suspension of all non-essential and medical procedures at private hospitals.

Indian media have reported that the murdered doctor was found in the teaching hospital´s seminar hall, suggesting she had gone there for a brief rest during a long shift.