Hospital services in several Indian cities were disrupted on Tuesday due to a nationwide strike by doctors protesting the alleged rape and murder of a 31-year-old doctor in Kolkata, according to authorities and media reports.
Television footage showed thousands of doctors marching on Monday at a government-run hospital, demanding justice for the victim and improved security measures, which led to the paralysis of health services in West Bengal. The protest spread across the country on Tuesday, with over 8,000 government doctors in Maharashtra, including those from Mumbai, halting work in all hospital departments except emergency services, as reported by media.
In New Delhi, junior doctors wearing white coats held posters stating, "Doctors are not punching bags," as they protested outside a major government hospital, calling for an investigation, as shown in Reuters Television images. Similar protests in cities like Lucknow and Goa left thousands of patients stranded and disrupted some hospital services, according to media.
The Indian Medical Association, the largest group of doctors in the country, addressed a letter to Health Minister J P Nadda, highlighting the poor working conditions, excessive workloads, and workplace violence. A health ministry spokesperson did not respond immediately to a request for comment. Despite the arrest of a police volunteer in Kolkata for the doctor's murder and the resignation of the medical college principal, doctors continue to assert that their workplace is unsafe.
City police chief Vineet Kumar Goyal confirmed that a case had been registered against the suspect under relevant laws concerning rape and murder. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee set a deadline for state police to complete their investigation by Sunday, or she would transfer it to federal agencies. Emergency services remained suspended on Tuesday in nearly all government-run medical college hospitals in Kolkata, as stated by state official N S Nigam, who added that the government was evaluating the impact on health services.
