Rape and killing of junior doctor sparks protests across India – The Diplomat

A doctor-in-training was raped and killed, leading to protests in several cities and an attack on the campus of a medical college. In several cities in India, doctors and paramedics are demanding better and safer working conditions.

Dozens of people rioted on the campus of a medical college in eastern India on Wednesday night, attacking vehicles and vandalizing patient rooms, police said on Thursday. Police were unable to identify the attacker, but media reports said several policemen were injured and police used tear gas during the clashes on Wednesday night at RG Kar Medical College in Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal state.

The unrest began when a 31-year-old doctor in training was found raped and killed on Friday, according to police. A volunteer police officer was arrested in connection with the crime, and police turned the case over to federal investigators under a judge's order.

Since then, government hospitals in several cities across India have suspended medical services, except for emergency rooms, as protesters demanded justice, claiming it was a gang rape and that other people were involved.

According to the National Crime Records Bureau, Indian police recorded 31,516 rape reports in 2022, a 20 percent increase over 2021.

Many cases of crimes against women go unreported in India because of the stigma attached to sexual violence and a lack of trust in the police. Women's rights activists say the problem is particularly acute in rural areas, where society sometimes shames victims of sexual assault and families worry about their social status.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned atrocities against women in the country.

“There is outrage all over the country about this. I can feel that outrage,” Modi said in an address to the nation on the 78th Independence Day.

The state governor, CV Ananda Bose, visited the medical college on Thursday to review the situation.

Rahul Gandhi, leader of the opposition Congress party, said in a statement that he saw an attempt by some state government officials to protect the suspects rather than punish them.

Rape and sexual violence have been in the spotlight since the brutal gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old student on a bus in New Delhi in 2012. The attack sparked massive protests and prompted lawmakers to impose harsher punishments for such crimes and create fast-track courts for rape cases.

The rape law was changed in 2013. Stalking and voyeurism were criminalized and the age at which a person can be tried as an adult was lowered from 18 to 16.

Despite strict laws, human rights activists say the government is still not doing enough to protect women and punish attackers.