Kolkata rape-murder case: Doctors in several hospitals across India on indefinite strike

Several doctors from hospitals across India have called for an indefinite strike to protest against the rape and murder of a trainee doctor in Kolkata.

Several doctors from hospitals across India have called for an indefinite strike starting Monday to protest against the gruesome rape and murder of a trainee doctor at the RG Kar Medical College in Kolkata. While several resident doctors had been protesting for the past three days, they have called to cease all non-emergency responsibilities.

Medics stage a protest against the sexual assault and murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor in Kolkata(PTI)

This comes a day after the Federation of Resident Doctors Association (FORDA) announced a nationwide halt to elective services starting Monday.

“As a mark of our solidarity with the colleagues of RG Kar, we announce a nationwide halting of elective services in hospitals starting Monday. This decision is not made lightly, but is necessary to ensure that our voices are heard and that the demands for justice and safety are met without further delay,” the FORDA wrote in a notice.

Here are the latest updates on the doctors' strike:

1. Doctors from hospitals in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and other cities have said that they would halt the elective services till a probe into the rape and murder case is completed. Notably, elective services are those that are not urgent and non-medically necessary.
2. Ten government hospitals in Delhi have begun an indefinite strike. These include - Maulana Azad Medical College, RML Hospital, Lady Hardinge Medical College, VMMC and Safdarjung Hospital, Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital, GTB, IHBAS, Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar Medical College, and National Institute of TB and Respiratory Diseases Hospital.
3. According to the Resident Doctors' Associations (RDA), during the indefinite strike, all outpatient departments (OPDs), operation theatres (OTs), and ward duties will be shut, but emergency services will continue to operate as usual, ensuring that urgent patient care remains unaffected.
4. MD of LNJP Hospital, Dr Suresh Kumar, told ANI that they will not participate in OPD services. “In such a situation, we have made special arrangements so that the patients do not face any problems...After this incident in Bengal, we are on alert regarding the safety of doctors and all the staff in LNJP hospital,” he said.
5. Another protesting junior doctor from the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital - where the incident took place - demanded an “impartial” investigation into the case, either by CBI or a sitting magistrate. “We are dissatisfied with the current police investigation and will continue our protest till justice is served and the state ensures foolproof security for all doctors and healthcare workers,” he said.
6. The doctors have urged the state government to expedite the prosecution of the culprits in the case.
7. The FORDA has put forward five demands. They are: The demands of the residents of the RG Kar Medical College must be accepted and acted upon swiftly; there must be a firm assurance that no police brutality or manhandling of the protesting doctors will occur and their right to protest peacefully will be respected; justice must be served swiftly and due compensation should be provided to the family of the deceased; the union government must release and enforce a mandated protocol for the security of healthcare workers across all hospitals, ensuring strict compliance; and an expert committee comprising representatives from the medical community and associations must be formed to speed up ratifying the Central Healthcare Protection Act.

Kolkata rape-murder case

The body of a woman doctor was found in a semi-naked state in the seminar hall of RG Kar Medical College on Friday morning. The 28-year-old victim was a second-year student in the respiratory medicine department at the hospital.

The autopsy report indicated that the woman was sexually assaulted before being strangled and smothered to death. According to the report, there was bleeding from both her eyes and mouth and injuries over the face, nails, belly, left leg, neck, right hand, ring finger, and lips. The victim was also bleeding from her private parts, the autopsy report said.

The police arrested the accused on Saturday, following which he was sent to a 14-day police under the charges of sections 64 (rape) and 103 (murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

Meanwhile, the principal of the RG Kar Medical College, Sandip Ghosh, resigned from his post and government service on Monday morning. Earlier, the West Bengal government removed the medical superintendent-cum-vice-principal of the college, Sanjay Vashisth, from his post and replaced him with Bulbul Mukhopadhyay, the dean of student affairs.