Hundreds of protesters have been arrested in India after mass demonstrations over the rape and murder of a doctor.
More than 1,500 people have been detained in the state of West Bengal, where the crime took place, during the days-long protests by doctors and women’s groups who have been calling for better protection.
Richa Garg, a doctor who was part of the protests in New Delhi, said she no longer felt safe at her workplace.
“As a woman, it boils my blood,” she said.
“The culprits of this crime should be found immediately – and our workplaces should be made safer.”
The protests were sparked by the rape and murder of a 31-year-old doctor, who was found on a blood-soaked mattress in a hospital in the eastern city of Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal, last Friday.
Pic: Reuters
The doctor had gone for a nap after nearly 20 hours into a 36-hour shift when she was attacked, according to staff at the RG Kar Medical College.
The victim was found bleeding from her eyes and mouth, with injuries to her legs, stomach, ankles, her right hand and finger.
A police volunteer has been arrested and charged in connection with the crime but the victim’s family allege it was a gang rape.
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The case has shocked the nation, with Bollywood actors, other celebrities and politicians all calling for stricter punishment for perpetrators of such crimes.
“As a society, we have to think about the atrocities being committed against our mothers, daughters and sisters,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said.
“There is outrage against this in the country. I can feel this outrage.”
He added: “Monstrous behaviour against women should be severely and promptly punished.”
Pic: Reuters
Tough laws were introduced following the high-profile case of a gang rape of a 23-year-old in New Delhi in 2012, which sparked national outrage.
These included fast-track courts for swifter convictions in such cases, but protesters say a decade on, the situation for women has not improved.
“This horrific incident has once again reminded us that women disproportionately bear the weight of ensuring their own safety,” Bollywood actress Alia Bhatt said in a post on her Instagram page, which has more than 85 million followers.
A candlelight vigil was held outside Jadavpur University campus. Pic: Reuters
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Thousands of medical staff have walked out of some public hospitals to demand better protection on the workplace.
The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has called on doctors nationwide – a figure it estimates to exceed a million – to shut down all services except emergency departments for 24 hours from Saturday morning.
IMA President R V Asokan said: “Women form the majority of our profession in this country. Time and again, we have asked for safety for them.”
