Rape and murder by Indian doctor trigger protests and unite football fans

Medical workers light candles to commemorate the rape and murder of a young doctor from Kolkata in Amritsar on August 18, 2024. | Photo by Narinder NANU / AFP

KOLKATA, India – Thousands of outraged protesters in India, including soccer fans of their arch-rival, demanded justice Monday after the rape and murder of a doctor, as large-scale strikes by health care workers entered their second week.

The discovery of the 31-year-old doctor's blood-soaked body on August 9 in a government hospital in the eastern Indian city of Calcutta sparked strikes and protests by doctors across India, expressing anger over the chronic problem of violence against women.

In many cities across India, doctors' associations at government hospitals continued their strikes on Monday, with non-essential services being restricted.

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“We have forgotten our rivalries and are joining forces to demand justice for the doctor and her family,” said Bablu Mukherjee, a fan of the Mohun Bagan football team from Kolkata.

“The issue is bigger than our club, even bigger than politics.”

The murdered doctor was found in the seminar room of the university hospital, which suggests that she had taken a break there during a 36-hour shift.

An autopsy confirmed the allegation of sexual assault and in a petition to the Calcutta High Court, her parents stated that they suspected their daughter had been the victim of a gang rape.

In a rare show of unity, fans of Kolkata's usual rivals, East Bengal, marched alongside them in a midnight rally that lasted until the early hours of Monday.

“We are on the side of the doctors,” the fans chanted in unison, ignoring the torrential monsoon rains and the police who tried to break up the rally. “We want justice.”

“Call to humanity”

Doctors and other health workers led the protests in many cities, but tens of thousands of ordinary Indians also joined them in demanding action.

“It is not just a protest, but a call for humanity,” said Sristi Haldar, a 23-year-old student at Presidency University in Kolkata, who took part in the candlelight rally.

“We are angry,” she said. “This is about the safety of all women everywhere.”

Doctors from RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, where the murder took place, gathered outside the building on Monday.

“We are determined not to give in to the pressure to remain silent,” said Shreya Shaw, a doctor. “The protests will continue until we get justice.”

Since non-essential medical procedures are no longer possible, some of the striking doctors in the capital New Delhi offered to treat patients free of charge in front of the Indian Ministry of Health.

The Supreme Court of India has also taken up the case and is monitoring the proceedings before the High Court in Calcutta. A hearing is scheduled for Tuesday.

The cruelty of the attack has drawn comparisons to the horrific gang rape and murder of a young woman on a bus in Delhi in 2012.

In a country where sexual violence against women is widespread, this incident sparked great outrage.

A man who worked at the hospital helping people navigate long lines was arrested.

Sexual violence against women is a widespread problem in India – in 2022, an average of nearly 90 rapes were reported per day in the country of 1.4 billion people.

Indian media reported on Monday that five people had been arrested on suspicion of raping a child at a bus station in the northern state of Uttarakhand.

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