ReutersIndian doctors have staged a nationwide strike to intensify protests over the rape and murder of a female colleague in the West Bengal city of Kolkata.
More than one million people were expected to take part in the strike as hospitals and clinics across the country refused to see non-urgent patients.
The IMA described last week’s killing as a “barbaric crime fuelled by a lack of safe spaces for women” and called for state support in the “struggle for justice”.
Protests against the attack and calls for better protection for women have grown in recent days after rioters vandalised the hospital where the incident took place.
The IMA said in a statement that emergency and ambulance services would continue. The strike ended at 6am local time (12:30am GMT) on Sunday.
The association’s president, R. V. Asokan, told the BBC that doctors had suffered violence and protested for years but this incident was “qualitatively different”.
If such crimes can occur at a medical college in a major city, it shows that “doctors are not safe anywhere,” he said.
Doctors at some public hospitals announced earlier this week that they would suspend elective treatments indefinitely.
The IMA also released a list of demands, including strengthening laws to better protect health workers from violence, increasing security levels in hospitals and creating safe spaces for rest.
The committee called for a “thorough and professional investigation” into the killing, the prosecution of those involved in the vandalism, and compensation for the woman’s family.
The rape of a 31-year-old female medical intern shocked the nation.
Her semi-naked body was found with severe injuries in a seminar hall at RG Khar Medical College last week, where she had reportedly gone to take a break during her shift.
A volunteer working at the hospital was arrested for his alleged involvement in the crime.
The case was transferred by local police to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) following criticism of a lack of progress.
Since the woman’s death, further cases of rape have been reported in India, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said “acts of brutality against women must be punished severely and swiftly.”
ReutersThe woman’s rape and murder has sparked a political accountability battle in West Bengal state, with the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accusing the ruling Trinamool Congress Party (TMC) of orchestrating the attack.
The TMC denied the allegations and blamed “political outsiders” for instigating the violence.
On Wednesday night, tens of thousands of women across West Bengal took part in “Take Back the Night” demonstrations demanding “independence to live freely without fear”.
The protests were largely peaceful, but clashes broke out between police and a small group of unidentified men who stormed into RG Khar Hospital, where the incident occurred, and ransacked the emergency ward.
At least 25 people have been arrested so far in connection with the case.
Protests were also held in many other Indian cities, including Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Pune.
“It feels like hope has been rekindled,” protester Sumita Dutta told AFP as thousands marched through the streets of Kolkata on Friday.
