Indian medical professionals initiated a 24-hour halt of non-emergency services nationwide on Saturday, in response to the horrific rape and murder of a doctor in Kolkata, the eastern city. The shutdown commenced at 6am (0030 GMT) and is set to suspend elective medical procedures and outpatient consultations in the most populous country globally, as stated by the Indian Medical Association. Emergency services, however, will remain operational. Last week, a 31-year-old trainee doctor was brutally raped and murdered at the medical college in Kolkata where she was employed, sparking widespread protests among doctors and evoking comparisons to the infamous 2012 gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old student in a moving bus in New Delhi. The ongoing protests by doctors and women's groups are fueled by the perceived ineffectiveness of stringent laws in curbing the escalating violence against women. "Women constitute the majority of our profession in this country. We have repeatedly sought their safety," stated IMA President RV Asokan in an interview with Reuters on Friday. The strike is anticipated to involve over a million medical professionals.