Indian doctors held a nationwide strike on Saturday, escalating protests after the \u201cbarbaric\u201d rape and murder of their colleague that has channelled outrage at the chronic issue of violence against women.<\/p>\n
A number of cities across the nation saw violent protests after the bloodied body of the 31-year-old doctor was found on August 9 at a state-run hospital in the eastern city of Kolkata.<\/p>\n
Tens of thousands of common Indians have joined the demands for action, many of which have been spearheaded by physicians and other healthcare professionals.<\/p>\n
Thousands of people in Kolkata kept a candlelit vigil until the wee hours of Saturday morning.<\/p>\n
\u201cHands that heal shouldn\u2019t bleed,\u201d read one sign held by a protester in the eastern city.<\/p>\n
\u201cEnough is enough,\u201d read another at a rally by doctors in the capital New Delhi.<\/p>\n
\u201cHang the rapist,\u201d another said.<\/p>\n
The fact that the dead doctor was discovered in the seminar hall of the teaching hospital suggests that she had taken a break during her 36-hour shift there.<\/p>\n
In a petition to the court, the victim’s parents stated they suspected their daughter had been gang-raped, and an autopsy confirmed the sexual assault.<\/p>\n
One hospital employee who assisted patients in navigating long lines has been placed under arrest.<\/p>\n
However, Kolkata\u2019s police were accused by an angry public of mishandling the case and the city\u2019s High Court transferred the investigation to India\u2019s top\u00a0Central Bureau of Investigation to \u201cinspire public confidence\u201d.<\/p>\n
Those in government hospitals across several states on Monday halted elective services \u201cindefinitely\u201d, with multiple medical unions in both government and private systems backing the strikes.<\/p>\n
The Indian Medical Association (IMA) escalated protests on Saturday morning with a 24-hour \u201cnationwide withdrawal of services\u201d, and the suspension of all non-essential procedures.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe ask for the understanding and support of the nation in this struggle for justice for its doctors and daughters,\u201d IMA chief R.V. Asokan said in a statement ahead of the strike.<\/p>\n
The IMA called the killing \u201cbarbaric\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe 36-hour duty shift that the victim was in and the lack of safe spaces to rest\u2026 warrant a thorough overhaul of the working and living conditions of the resident doctors,\u201d the IMA said in a statement.<\/p>\n
Doctors are demanding the implementation of the Central Protection Act, a bill to protect healthcare workers from violence.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is a lack of proper infrastructure,\u201d said 29-year-old Akanksha Tyagi, a resident at the Lady Hardinge Medical College in New Delhi who took part in one of the multiple protests around the country.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter working for 24-36 hours at a stretch, there\u2019s no proper place for us to rest,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Outpatient services were disrupted by the strike.<\/p>\n
Many people who had arrived for their scheduled appointments at Delhi’s Ram Manohar Lohia public hospital\u2014one of the busiest in the city\u2014were turned away.<\/p>\n
Shivdev Kumar, 50, had travelled over 20 kilometres (12 miles) with the tuberculosis reports of his daughter, only to find the doctor\u2019s room locked.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had no idea, otherwise I would not have such a long way,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanded on Thursday swift punishment for those who commit \u201cmonstrous\u201d deeds against women.<\/p>\n
Sexual violence against women is a widespread problem in India \u2014 an average of nearly 90 rapes a day were reported in 2022 in the country of 1.4 billion people.<\/p>\n
For many, the gruesome nature of the hospital attack has invoked comparisons with the horrific 2012 gang rape and murder of a young woman on a Delhi bus.<\/p>\n
That woman became a symbol of socially conservative India\u2019s failure to tackle sexual violence against women.<\/p>\n
Her death sparked huge, and at times violent, demonstrations in Delhi and elsewhere.<\/p>\n
The government implemented the death penalty for repeat offenders and tougher penalties for rapists in response to public pressure.<\/p>\n
In addition, a number of new sexual offenses were added, such as stalking, and public servants who decline to file rape reports may now face jail time.<\/p>\n
AFP<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Indian doctors held a nationwide strike on Saturday, escalating protests after the \u201cbarbaric\u201d rape and murder of their colleague that has channelled outrage at the chronic issue of violence against women. A number of cities across the nation saw violent protests after the bloodied body of the 31-year-old doctor was found on August 9 at […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":143093,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-143089","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-the-nation"},"yoast_head":"\n