Father thanks protesters after rape and murder of doctor in hospital

The father of the assistant doctor who was raped and murdered in an Indian hospital has thanked the protesters and called for harsh consequences for the perpetrator.

“People and friends all over the world, all men and women who support me are like my children and I stand by their side,” said the father of the 31-year-old trainee doctor at a government hospital in Calcutta.

Hundreds of doctors gathered in New Delhi on Monday for a protest rally near the Indian Health Ministry to demand greater protection for health workers following the rape and murder.

The father demanded justice for his daughter: “I hope that the perpetrator behind the rape and murder of my daughter receives the harshest punishment.”

The woman's aunt told the media: “She was aiming for a gold medal in her medical studies. That was her dream.”

The family was also planning their wedding, which was to take place in November.

“In her last conversation at around 11:15 p.m., she told her parents to eat dinner, take her medication and sleep, and assured them that she was fine,” a family member told the media.

More than a week after the attack, a wave of protests and rallies shook the country.

Protesters carrying placards with messages such as “Justice delayed is justice denied” were met by police on Monday as they attempted to set up free outpatient services for patients in front of the Ministry of Health.

The brutal attack on August 9 at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata sparked nationwide outrage and mobilized the medical community across India.

Doctors and healthcare workers have organized protests and candlelight vigils and temporarily suspended non-emergency services to demand justice for their colleagues.

The case has highlighted the vulnerability of medical personnel in India and the rise in violence against women.

The protesting doctors are demanding urgent legal reforms, including making attacks on medical staff on duty a criminal offence, with no bail, strengthening security measures in hospitals and providing safe rest areas for medical staff.

The Indian government has asked doctors to return to work and promised to set up a committee to address their concerns.

A police officer working at the hospital was arrested and charged, but the victim's family says the attack was a gang rape involving multiple perpetrators.

In Calcutta, thousands took to the streets, many women leading the demands for justice.

Protesters argue that the case underscores the ongoing threat of violence against women in India, despite the introduction of stricter laws following the gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old student on a Delhi bus in 2012.

Sexual violence remains a widespread problem in India. According to the National Crime Records Bureau, police registered 31,516 rape cases in 2022 – a 20% increase over the previous year.