- Sunday, March 09, 2025
Doctors in Delhi, Mumbai, Lucknow and several other cities have announced that all elective services would be halted till a probe is completed in the case
By: Shajil Kumar
DOCTORS in government hospitals across several states halted elective services “indefinitely” on Monday to protest the rape and murder of a young medic in Kolkata.
The 31-year-old’s brutalised body was found bearing multiple injuries on Friday at the seminar hall of the state-run RG Kar Hospital in Kolkata, where she was a postgraduate trainee doctor.
A subsequent autopsy confirmed sexual assault and homicide.
Police have detained a man who worked at the victim’s hospital helping people navigate busy queues, according to local media reports.
Across West Bengal, hospital services were disrupted as junior doctors, interns, and postgraduate trainees continued to cease work for the fourth consecutive day, demanding a magisterial inquiry into the doctor’s death.
Demonstrations by doctors have also spread to other parts of the country.
Doctors in Delhi, Mumbai, Lucknow and several other cities have announced that all elective services would be halted till a probe is completed in the case. The protesters are also demanding adequate security for all medical staff.
In Delhi, 10 government hospitals have begun an indefinite strike. They 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, according to a statement by the Resident Doctors’ Associations.
The move comes in response to a call from the Federation of Resident Doctors’ Association (FORDA).
Sexual violence against women is a widespread problem in India – an average of nearly 90 rapes a day were reported in 2022 in the country of 1.4 billion people.
But doctors say they face additional threats of workplace violence from angry family members of patients, especially after delivering bad news.
“There should be stringent security measures in hospitals and CCTV cameras should be installed,” said Sarvesh Pandey, from the FORDA.
Pandey added that the protesting doctors’ demands included a specialised law protecting healthcare workers from violence on the job.
“There are incidents every day where doctors are assaulted,” said Pandey.
A survey by the Indian Medical Association found 75 per cent of doctors in India had faced some form of violence.
College principal quits
Facing backlash over the rape and murder of a doctor, RG Kar Medical College & Hospital principal Sandip Ghosh resigned from his post and government service on Monday morning.
Ghosh’s decision comes a day after the West Bengal government removed the medical superintendent-cum-vice-principal Sanjay Vashisth, who was replaced by Bulbul Mukhopadhyay, the dean of student affairs, with additional responsibilities as superintendent.
Over the past three days, junior doctors in West Bengal have been covering emergency duties, but as of Monday morning, they ceased all responsibilities.
“We want an impartial investigation into the murder of our colleague, either by the 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,” said a protesting junior doctor from RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.
The junior doctors had asked the state government to expedite the prosecution of the culprits and remove Ghosh and Vashisth.
Ghosh denied all allegations, stating that he cannot tolerate the false accusations and has already cooperated with the police, including handing over CCTV footage.
“I cannot take this insult anymore. All the allegations raised against me are false and fabricated. A student movement has been incited to remove me. There is a political mind behind this. I had informed police within an hour of the incident. CCTV footage has been handed over to police,” Ghosh said.
“I want the agitating students to rejoin duty soon,” he added. Ghosh had personally visited Swasthya Bhavan to hand over his resignation.
The state government has canceled the leave of all senior doctors to handle the influx of patients, as Mondays typically see a high volume in outpatient departments. (Agencies)
