India's doctors continue strike after killing in Calcutta

Indian Resident Doctors extended their strike on Sunday, after which thousands more set out on solidarity marches,the cruel rape and murder a 31-year-old medical student in Kolkata. The tragedy attracted national and international attention, with protesters demanding that the government do more to combat the long-standing crisis of rape and sexual abuse of women and girls.

The victim's blood-stained body was discovered on August 9 in a seminar room at the government hospital G. Kar Medical College in Kolkata, where she was resting after a 36-hour shift. A hospital employee has been arrested, but the victim's parents suspect that their daughter was the victim of a gang rape.

The crime has ignited Protests throughout India, where on averagealmost 90 rapes per day were reported in 2022. Women’s rights activists say that despite stricter laws following a notorious case of gang rape in a Delhi bus in 2012The Indian Medical Association has called for improved safety protocols for hospital staff.

At the recent Independence Day celebrations, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said “Crimes against women must be investigated promptly and those who commit demonic acts must be punished severely.” Modi and the Indian authorities were criticizedfor ignoring a series of gang rapes in Manipur until video evidence of the crimes emerged.

We will see whether this latest incident prompts Modi's government to act more quickly – and how the investigation develops further.