Thousands of outraged Indian protesters, including archrival soccer fans and lawyers, yesterday called for justice after the rape and murder of a doctor as widespread strikes by healthcare workers entered a second week.
The discovery of the 31-year-old doctor’s bloodied body at a state-run hospital in Kolkata on Aug. 9 sparked medical strikes and protests across India, channeling anger at the chronic issue of violence against women
Doctors’ associations from government-run hospitals in many cities across the country yesterday continued strikes that cut non-essential services.
Photo: Reuters
“We have forgotten our rivalries to make common cause in calling for justice for the doctor and her family,” said Bablu Mukherjee, a supporter of Kolkata’s Mohun Bagan soccer team. “The cause is bigger than our club, even bigger than politics.”
The murdered doctor was found in the teaching hospital’s seminar hall, suggesting she had gone there for a break during a 36-hour-long shift.
An autopsy confirmed sexual assault and, in a petition to the Kolkata High Court, her parents said they suspected their daughter was gang raped.
In a rare case of unity, fans from Kolkata’s usual rivals the East Bengal club marched alongside them in a midnight rally that lasted into the early hours yesterday.
“We are with the doctors,” the fans chanted in unison, shrugging off torrential monsoon rains and police seeking to break up the rally. “We want justice.”
Many of the protests in multiple cities have been led by doctors and other healthcare workers, but have also been joined by tens of thousands of ordinary Indians demanding action.
“It’s not just a protest, but a call to humanity,” said 23-year-old student Sristi Haldar, from Kolkata’s Presidency University, who joined the candlelit rally.
“We are angry,” she said. “It’s about the safety of all women everywhere.”
Doctors from the R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital, where the murder occurred, yesterday rallied outside the building.
“We are determined that we don’t give in to pressure to remain silent,” said Shreya Shaw, a female doctor. “The protests will go on until we get justice.”
With non-essential medical procedures closed, some of the striking doctors in the capital, New Delhi, offered to see patients for free outside the Indian Ministry of Health.
India’s Supreme Court has also taken up the case, overseeing the process in Kolkata’s High Court, with a hearing set for today.
One man, who worked at the hospital helping people navigate busy lines, has been detained.
Hundreds of lawyers, mostly women, joined the protests in Kolkata, marching in legal black gowns.
“No mercy to rapists,” one banner read.
Doctors have also demanded the implementation of the Central Protection Act, a bill to protect healthcare workers from violence.
Seven people sustained mostly minor injuries in an airplane fire in South Korea, authorities said yesterday, with local media suggesting the blaze might have been caused by a portable battery stored in the overhead bin. The Air Busan plane, an Airbus A321, was set to fly to Hong Kong from Gimhae International Airport in southeastern Busan, but caught fire in the rear section on Tuesday night, the South Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said. A total of 169 passengers and seven flight attendants and staff were evacuated down inflatable slides, it said. Authorities initially reported three injuries, but revised the number
‘BALD-FACED LIE’: The woman is accused of administering non-prescribed drugs to the one-year-old and filmed the toddler’s distress to solicit donations online A social media influencer accused of filming the torture of her baby to gain money allegedly manufactured symptoms causing the toddler to have brain surgery, a magistrate has heard. The 34-year-old Queensland woman is charged with torturing an infant and posting videos of the little girl online to build a social media following and solicit donations. A decision on her bail application in a Brisbane court was yesterday postponed after the magistrate opted to take more time before making a decision in an effort “not to be overwhelmed” by the nature of allegations “so offensive to right-thinking people.” The Sunshine Coast woman —
BORDER SERVICES: With the US-funded International Rescue Committee telling clinics to shut by tomorrow, Burmese refugees face sudden discharge from Thai hospitals Healthcare centers serving tens of thousands of refugees on the Thai-Myanmar border have been ordered shut after US President Donald Trump froze most foreign aid last week, forcing Thai officials to transport the sickest patients to other facilities. The International Rescue Committee (IRC), which funds the clinics with US support, told the facilities to shut by tomorrow, a local official and two camp committee members said. The IRC did not respond to a request for comment. Trump last week paused development assistance from the US Agency for International Development for 90 days to assess compatibility with his “America First” policy. The freeze has thrown
TESTING BAN: Satellite photos show a facility in the Chinese city of Mianyang that could aid nuclear weapons design and power generation, a US researcher said China appears to be building a large laser-ignited fusion research center in the southwestern city of Mianyang, experts at two analytical organizations said, a development that could aid nuclear weapons design and work exploring power generation. Satellite photos show four outlying “arms” that would house laser bays, and a central experiment bay that would hold a target chamber containing hydrogen isotopes the powerful lasers would fuse together, producing energy, said Decker Eveleth, a researcher at US-based independent research organization CNA Corp. It is a similar layout to the US$3.5 billion US National Ignition Facility (NIF) in northern California, which in 2022 generated
RSS