Thousands of women marched across several Indian cities overnight and Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for strict punishment for crimes against women, as outrage and protests against the gruesome rape and murder of a doctor escalated. Furthermore, the Kolkata doctor rape protests underscore the growing public frustration with the authorities’ response. #KolkataDoctorRapeProtests
Holding candles and posters that said “reclaim the night”, women held marches across cities, including the eastern Indian city of Kolkata, where the rape and murder of a trainee doctor last week has triggered protests by fellow medics, demanding better and safer working conditions.
Many government hospitals in cities across India suspended all services except emergency departments earlier this week. Junior doctors protested outside, demanding justice for the victim.
The 31-year-old doctor was found dead on Friday. Police reported she had been raped and murdered, leading to the arrest of a police volunteer.
“As a society, we have to think about the atrocities being committed against our mothers, daughters and sisters. There is outrage against this in the country. I can feel this outrage,” Modi said in an address to the nation on its 78th Independence Day on Thursday.
The rape has revived memories of the 2012 New Delhi case. In that incident, a gang raped a 23-year-old student on a moving bus, leading to her death.
“This horrific incident has once again reminded us that women disproportionately bear the weight of ensuring their own safety,” Bollywood actor Alia Bhatt said in a post on her Instagram page, which has more than 85 million followers.
Doctors in India’s crowded government hospitals have long complained about being overworked and underpaid. They also say insufficient measures address violence from people frustrated with the medical care provided. #KolkataDoctorRapeProtests
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