Protests in India escalate over rape and murder of doctor | Protest news

Thousands of women and men marched through several Indian cities as protests against the rape and murder of a doctor escalated.

Holding candles and placards reading “Take back the night,” they held rallies in several cities, including Kolkata in eastern India, where the body of the trainee doctor was found last week. This also sparked protests from other medical professionals demanding better and safer working conditions.

Many government hospitals in cities across India shut down all operations except emergency departments earlier this week, while junior doctors sat outside the doors in protest, demanding justice for the victim.

The 31-year-old doctor was found dead on Friday. Police said she had been raped and murdered. One person was subsequently arrested in connection with the crime.

“As a society, we need to reflect on the atrocities being committed against our mothers, daughters and sisters. There is outrage across the country about this. I can feel that outrage,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in an Independence Day address to the nation on Thursday, but did not refer specifically to the Kolkata case.

Data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) released late last year shows that the number of crimes against women in India increased by 4 percent in 2022 compared to the previous year.