KOLKATA — Junior doctors in West Bengal have agreed to partially resume essential medical services, while continuing their strike over the brutal rape and murder of a 31-year-old female colleague in August. The incident sparked widespread protests, with doctors demanding increased workplace safety and justice for the victim.
The West Bengal Junior Doctors Front, representing approximately 7,000 doctors, announced that essential services would resume on Saturday due to the ongoing flood situation in parts of the state. However, their protest for “justice” will persist in state-run hospitals.
The doctors are calling for improved security measures, including enhanced CCTV coverage, female security personnel, better lighting, and more adequate facilities for rest and hygiene.
The case has led to the arrest of a police volunteer in connection with the crime, while the former principal of R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, where the crime occurred, has been charged with evidence tampering and graft. The city’s police chief has also been replaced amid the controversy.
Despite tougher laws enacted following the infamous 2012 gang rape in New Delhi, activists argue the Kolkata case highlights the ongoing threat of sexual violence against women in India.